Lost But Found
by JkawaiiNeko
Summary: Haruhi was found in an alley. And when certain boys start to fall in love with her, will they be able to let her go back to her real life when she remembers? COMPLETE!
1. Tamaki and the Alley

Disclaimer: I don't own this anime or the characters. Even though I wish I owned Tamaki

A/N: I kept referring to Haruhi as a boy because Tamaki and Haruhi thinks she is. So please don't get confused.

* * *

Tamaki was riding in his limo, staring out the window on a rainy night. It had just thunder stormed but now the rain was at a light drizzle. He watched as the people on the sidewalks ran past, probably trying to get to their homes or to a bus stop. He wondered why they didn't just call their chauffeurs and get picked up. Then he remembered- they probably didn't have one. The lives of commoners intrigued the Suoh so much that on random days he would go out for a ride, just to watch them. They did things so differently than he did! If only he could meet one and find out _why _they did things in the manner of which they did them. That'd be a real treat.

Then he spotted something. It was in the alley. Tamaki pressed his hand against the window and peered out of it. Yes, it was defiantly human...he could tell by the shape. The person was in a box, shaking seemingly uncontrollably. Tamaki had never seen anything like it.

"Stop the car," Tamaki ordered, "Pull over!"

The driver obeyed and pulled over next to the sidewalk. "Master Tamaki?" The chauffeur called as Tamaki hurriedly opened the door and ran back to the alley. He stopped in front of it, his breath caught in his throat as he gazed down at the small being. He slowly walked over to the person, still the brunette didn't look up at him because the brunette was too busy crying. It wasn't a loud, yelling crying the person was doing, but the tears were slowly trickling down the face and the body was still trembling.

Tamaki stooped down and reached out his hand to put on the brown haired person's head. It was if an invisible force had sucked his hand in. "Don't cry, little boy," Tamaki instructed, ruffling the 'boy's' head. Said boy looked up at Tamaki with the biggest, brownest eyes Tamaki had ever seen. "Are you alone?" Tamaki asked. The brunette nodded his head up and down.

"You have no family?" Tamaki asked. Again he nodded his head. Tamaki's eyes grew wide, "Then, how did you get out here? Surely you must have somewhere to go, someone that misses you."

The boy's eyes started to water with fresh tears, so Tamaki stopped his rambling and took the younger person's hand, "Then you shall come with me."

This time it was the brunette's turn to widen the eyes, "But-"

"Ah, so you _can _speak," Tamaki cut him off and started pulling him back to his limo. "Do you have a name?"

"Er-" the brunette thought dug deep into the crevices of his mind but couldn't find an answer. In fact, he hadn't even known he was a boy until Tamaki called him one! "No," he shook his head, "I don't think I do at least."

At the sight of Tamaki, the chauffeur came rushing out of the car and opened the back door for him. He eyed the brunette suspiciously but refrained from saying anything to the young master- it wasn't his place and he didn't want to hear Tamaki's rants. Tamaki waited as the brunette slowly made his way into the limo.

"Ano...this is...big," he said when Tamaki had come in as well. He blushed a bit when Tamaki let out a laugh.

There was silence as the car started moving again. Then Tamaki said, "How can a person have no name?"

"I just don't," said the brown eyed "boy." If the conversation was going to keep on with his namelessness then he rather it just stop.

"Then...your name is Haru," Tamaki replied. Haru looked up in surprise. Tamaki looked down at him and saw something in his eyes- a sparkle perhaps? "Do you like Haru?"

"I'm not sure..." Haru said, frowning a bit. "But I'll think about it," he smiled and at that point Tamaki could see Haru being a girl. But the thought passed just as soon as it went. Soon Haru was asleep. His body leaned to the side until it finally could sit up no more, and Haru's head ended up on Tamaki's arm. The blond didn't bother moving it.

* * *

When they got home Tamaki carried the boy all the way up to his room and laid him on his own bed, despite the many pleas and scorning he got from the maids, who didn't want such a filthy child to soil Tamaki's sheets. Tamaki showered for a while and wondered what he would do with the kid. Obviously, not put him back on the streets. What kind of person would he be if he saved someone then just dumped him back into danger? Then an idea sparked inside Tamaki's head. He rushed out of the shower and ran back to his room, clad in a town.

To his surprise, the brunette was already awake. He gasped and looked away, "Geez! Can't you put some clothes on?"

Tamaki was totally oblivious to Haru's discomfort and he jumped up and down, then pointed straight at him, "You will stay here as my butler!"

"What?" Haru screeched.

"It's only fair, isn't it?" Tamaki blinked.

"Who said I wanted to stay here? And what made you think I'd want-"

"You shouldn't want to go back to the box right? Then you'll stay here with me and work to stay here! That way, my father won't get angry and you'll have a home at the same time. See? Isn't it a magnificent plan Haru?"

"You have a bad habit of cutting people off and automatically thinking everyone will agree with you," Haru's words were laced with malice that stung at Tamaki's heart. Then he sighed and looked out the window, "But...if it means not having to go back out there..."

"Then it's settled!" Tamaki decreed. "You, Haru, will now be my personal lack-dog."

"Eh-?!" Haru jumped up, "I don't even know your name and you're calling me something like that."

"You're right, dear Haru. Excuse my manners. I am Suoh Tamaki, the King of the Host Club and the prince-type!"

Haru had no idea what a host club was, and he really didn't care to know. All he knew was that if Tamaki was in it, then he didn't want anything to do with it. "Tamaki-san..." Haru repeated the name, trying it out.

"Now we must inform the maids and tell them to get your quarters ready for the night," Tamaki said, ushering Haru out of the room and into the hallway.

"Wait!" Haru said and turned around to face the blond, who blinked in mild confusion. "I like Haruhi better."

Tamaki blinked again and tilted his head to the side, "Haru-hi?"

"Hai," Haruhi said with a shrug, "It suits me better, I think."

Tamaki broke out in a wide grin and nodded, "Then Haruhi shall be your name."

* * *

Haruhi sighed and sat down on the bed that had been provided for him, "This is really too much." He looked around the room. It was larger than any room he could remember seeing, which wasn't many because at the moment Haruhi could hardly remember a thing. What he could remember sent chills up his spine.

"Haruhi!"

Haruhi cringed. The blond idiot was banging away on his door. As if it wasn't bad enough that he'd made him his lackey! Haruhi sighed again as he walked to the door. 'What am I thinking? I should be thankful that he let me in his home and is taking care of me. But...he's already annoying.'

He slowly turned the doorknob and let Tamaki inside, "Haruhi, I came to say good night!" he announced as he entered. "Do you like your room?"

"Hai, arigato," Haruhi thanked him as he inspected the room. Tamaki smiled and nodded.

"Kyouya says he'll come over tomorrow."

"Kyouya?" Haruhi asked.

Tamaki grinned and whisked around, "Yes! Kyouya and I are best friends. As soon as I called him and told him about you, he said he would be coming over tomorrow. Haruhi, can you ask for a greater friend than that? Can life produce another person so willing to help?"

Haruhi sweat dropped. Little did he know, Tamaki was slipping into host mode. Then he startled Haruhi when he suddenly snapped his fingers and said, "Well Haruhi, it is time for us to depart for the night."

"Um...okay then...good night Tamaki-san," Haruhi walked the blond back to the door. "And really, thanks for this."

"It is my duty," Tamaki gracefully bowed and when he came back up, ungracefully yawned. "Night Haruhi."

"Goodnight," Haruhi gently closed the door shut. He sighed and turned the lights off. When he found the bed and got comfortable in it he found that he couldn't go to sleep. Something was not right. Besides the fact that he was sleeping in someone else's home, resting in a stranger's bed and such...there was still something that was bothering him. But he couldn't figure out what it was no matter how hard he thought about it. His mind was blank.

He sat up and looked out the window. The moon's ray was shining down on him as if it were trying to lend its help. Haruhi remembered when Tamaki had first found him. _Don't cry, little boy. _Haruhi suddenly felt a pang at his heart. Something was really wrong with that sentence. Haruhi didn't mind being called a boy, no, that wasn't it. Especially since Tamaki had said it in such a kind, gentle way. But it _did _make him think Tamaki was an even bigger idiot than he had already made him out to be. That's when it hit him.

Haruhi got up and walked to his private bathroom that a maid had said would be his as long as he stayed in the Suoh mansion.

When he came out he had a whole new prospective.

'I'm...a girl...' she thought.

**A/N: Well, this has been on my mind for awhile so I just had to write it! Please review. The rest of the characters will appear, I assure you. I hope you guys don't mind me referring to Haruhi as a boy for so long either. **


	2. Meeting the Hosts

Haruhi yawned and sat up in her bed. She opened her eyes slowly, and for a second she saw an image of someone with long brown hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a cream outfit that consisted of a skirt and dress shirt. The lady was also holding up a peace sign with a big grin making her features all the more wonderful. Haruhi gasped, and the image was gone. She swung her feet around and put them on the floor then slipped them in the white slippers Tamaki's maids had sat at her bedside. 'What was that about?' she wondered.

Her hands seemed to do work on their own, easily slipping into the routine of making her bed up and opening the curtains to let the early morning sun shine in. Although Haruhi couldn't remember it, she felt as if she had done that exact thing every morning. She sighed and shook her head. It was no use trying to remember that right now when it only served to give her headaches. 'I'll remember sooner or later...' she thought blankly. The female walked towards her bedroom door. Just as she was about to open it, it came swinging open.

"Haruhi!"

'Oh god...'

"Ohayo Haruhi!" Tamaki greeted cheerfully.

'Great...a morning person...'

"Haruhi, will you be so kind as to accompany me to breakfast?" Tamaki asked. Just as Haruhi was about to decline he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her out of the room. "We have many things to discuss too, my little lackey. And who knows when the last time you ate was? Did I tell you Kyouya's coming over this afternoon? We must make you look decent for him, I wouldn't want him thinking I keep people in my house and not even be so kind as to keep them clean."

Haruhi sighed as Tamaki talked on and on through breakfast. But the food did make up for his excessive talking. Haruhi wanted to thank whoever cooked the food and maybe even get some tips.

Tamaki suddenly stopped talking when he noticed the sad look on Haruhi's face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Haruhi jumped and smiled nervously, "I-It's nothing Tamaki-san. Please continue with what you were saying."

"Haruhi," Tamaki frowned and placed his hands on Haruhi's shoulders. He stared her dead in her brown eyes, "If something is wrong...please don't hesitate to tell me."

Haruhi blinked as her face heated up. She shook it away and smiled, sincerely this time. "I was just thinking that I wish I could cook is all." She tapped her finger to her chin. "Maybe I could practice while I'm here."

"Of course Haruhi!" Tamaki exclaimed, jumping up in excitement. "You can do almost anything you want while you are my guest."

"Oh...arigato..." Haruhi smiled and Tamaki's heart jumped. 'Why...?' he wondered. To his surprise Haruhi started to gather their dishes.

"Eh- Haruhi! The maids will-"

"I'm your personal lackey, right?" Haruhi looked over her shoulder and stared at the blond. "Then I should clean our dishes."

"Ah...right," Tamaki nodded. Just over breakfast, he had forgotten all about that.

* * *

Haruhi stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed and revived. When she walked back into her room she was surprised to see a clean white button-up and black jeans laid out on her bed. Tamaki had said that he'd make sure she was properly dressed for his friend, but she hadn't known he was going to go as far as to get her all new clothing! 'Then again...I was only wearing a dirty t-shirt.'

She slipped the outfit on and was surprised to find that it fit her perfectly. So Tamaki really could do things right after all! She checked herself in the body-long mirror that was positioned against her wall. Now she knew why Tamaki had mistaken her for a boy. In this boy's attire, she really did resemble a male instead of a female. The female took the back of the shirt and pulled it close to her body. Now, she found, she resembled more of a girl, just in boy's clothing. So when she wore tighter clothes, her figure really _did _show, if only just a bit. 'I wonder what Tamaki-san will think?' she wondered.

Then she frowned and released the shirt. 'What's the point of telling him I'm a female? He wants me to be his butler so...'

A gently knock on the door made Haruhi's thought trail off. "Come in," she said and turned to face the door way. The door slowly opened and presented Tamaki and who Haruhi suspected to be his best friend, Kyouya.

"Hmm," Kyouya's gray eyes scanned Haruhi up and down, making her feel quite uneasy. What was this, some type of third degree? As he neared her Haruhi swallowed and stood completely still. It was like she was a criminal being searched by a cop. 'Don't make any moves or I'll shoot you with my cop gun...and I can do that...because I'm a cop.' Haruhi hoped Kyouya wouldn't say that.

Haruhi jumped when he finally spoke. "What's the name again?"

"Haruhi..." she replied.

"No last name?" he asked.

"No...um...I don't really know," she admitted. She fidgeted under his gaze.

"Do you remember what happened to you? Why you were out in the streets," he asked.

"No," Haruhi answered.

He sighed and looked back at his blond friend, "Tamaki, I think Haruhi is suffering from a case of amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Tamaki and Haruhi asked.

Kyouya sighed, took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. "Yes...amnesia is when you lose your memory."

"Oh!" Tamaki snapped his fingers, "Like when someone hits their head really hard!"

"Perhaps," Kyouya nodded. "You should get her checked out by a specialist as well. You should also see to it that we find her real family."

"Ah- you're right," Tamaki nodded and put his hand on Haruhi's head, "We'll have to do that for you Haruhi. Kyouya's really smart so- HER? Kyouya, can you not see that Haruhi is a boy?" Tamaki turned to Kyouya, then back to Haruhi, "Please excuse Kyouya for that Haruhi. He obviously-"

"Tamaki-san-"

"thought you were a girl because of your girlish face but-"

"Tamaki," Kyouya said.

"It is clear to me that you are not a girl so-"

"Tamaki!" Kyouya and Haruhi yelled.

Tamaki blinked in surprise. "Yes?"

"I am a girl, Tamaki-san," Haruhi admitted. "Although...I didn't really know until last night."

"W-what?" Tamaki's eyes grew wide, "H-Haruhi! Why didn't you tell me sooner? I wouldn't have dressed you in-"

"I didn't think it really mattered, to tell the truth. And besides," Haruhi looked down at her attire, "I like wearing this. It's comfortable."

Tamaki stood there gaping at the cross-dresser and Kyouya chuckled.

"Well, I should be going now," the black haired boy announced, stuffed a hand inside his pocket, and waved with the other one.

"Kyouya! You just can't leave now," Tamaki said, "We have work to do with Haruhi now that we know she's a girl. You must help me find her new outfits and-"

Kyouya swung Tamaki out of the room and shut the door behind him, leaving a confused Haruhi inside. Kyouya looked his best friend in the eyes, "Tamaki...I'm telling you this now and I hope I make myself clear when I say: Don't get attached to her."

Tamaki blinked, "Kyouya?"

"If you get attached to her, it'll only be harder to let her go. And she _will _be going Tamaki. Whether you want her to or not."

"But Kyouya-"

"She is not yours to keep. Do you understand?"

Tamaki whimpered and nodded slowly. Kyouya sighed and opened the door to Haruhi's room again. He put on his best host-charmed smile and said, "Well, I suppose I'll see you soon Haruhi. Good bye."

"Oh, goodbye Kyouya-san," Haruhi said with a smile.

"Oh yes, Haruhi," Kyouya stopped just outside the door and looked over his shoulder at the girl, "I'll be conducting research on you so," he suddenly turned around and a light almost blinded Haruhi. As she was rubbing her eyes, trying to get the little circles of lights to disappear, Kyouya showed his camera to Tamaki, "for reference," he muttered, and took his leave.

As he walked down the stairs he wondered if he had made his point clear enough to Tamaki. Sometimes the blond proved to be...more than extremely dense. When he reached out to the door to get out of the mansion, it swung open.

"Tono! We're here to see who you've kidnapped!"

'Oh no...' Kyouya thought as he stared at the two pale-red heads and they stared at him back.

"Kyouya? We weren't expecting you to be here," Hikaru said.

"We should've known Tono told you about the alley-lackey too," Kaoru added.

Kyouya chuckled, "And I suppose I should've known that he wouldn't be able to keep a secret confined just between two people."

"That's right," the twins nodded, "So, where is this brown haired boy anyways?"

Kyouya pointed up, as if to say 'upstairs' and the twins cried "Hizzah!" and started up them.

"Oh yes, Hikaru, Kaoru?" Kyouya called back. The twins simultaneously looked over their shoulders at the only host with glasses. "I just thought that you'd like to know that Haruhi is actually a girl."

The twins eyes grew wide and without a word to Kyouya, they made a mad dash up the stairs and ran past, busted into and checked several rooms before they finally found the room Tamaki and his guest were in. They were panting by the time they found them.

"Hikaru, Kaoru? You devil twins, how did you get in my house?!" Tamaki scolded them, but the twins were too busy examining Haruhi. Even dressed in boys' clothes, her true beauty was shining through radiantly.

"Tono...did you really find her in an alley?" Hikaru asked. Followed by his younger brother, "Or did you kidnap her in the middle of the night?"

"O-of course not!" Tamaki stammered, his face turning a bright shade of red. "Haruhi! Don't believe them!"

"Ah...so that's how it went..." Haruhi said.

"H-Haruhi! I said don't believe their words!"

Hikaru and Kaoru grinned and slipped into position besides Haruhi. Hikaru whispered in her right ear, "Don't worry Haruhi, we won't let this pervert harm you." While Kaoru purred in the other, "We already suspected him to be this type anyways."

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Tamaki bounced up and down in fury, "Stop telling my daughter such ridiculous things!"

Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi turned around and stared at the King. "Daughter?"

Tamaki blinked, blushed a bit but continued his rampage, "Yes! As Haruhi's father I will not tolerate such behavior! I took her in, so that obviously makes me her father!"

"Tamaki, you have more visitors," Kyouya suddenly stepped in, along with a short blond and a tall spiky haired guy.

"Wow! Haru-chan is so pretty!" the shortest one said and jumped off the taller one's back to run up to Haruhi.

"Um..." Haruhi gave Tamaki a questioning glance.

"Oh, Haruhi, this is Haninozuka Mitsukuni and Morinozuka Takashi, the seniors of the Host Club," he introduced.

"You can call me Honey if you want Haru-chan!" Honey said. "And you could call Takashi Mori if you want too!"

"Oh...nice to meet you Mori-san," Haruhi smiled at Takashi, who nodded and smiled back.

"Pleasure," he said in a monotone and somehow Haruhi understood that in his own special way he was saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you Haruhi, we can be friends if you want."

"Well, now that everyone knows everyone, let's go to buy her some clothes," Hikaru and Kaoru suggested.

"Oh! I want to help dress Haruhi up," Honey exclaimed.

"Un," Takashi agreed.

"I don't have a problem with it, as long as I won't be the one paying," Kyouya looked to Tamaki, who beamed.

"Yes! We shall get my daughter the finest of clothes!" Tamaki said and stretched his arms around Haruhi.

Haruhi sighed. Once again...this just did not feel right. Shouldn't she be doing her own shopping? Other than that, meeting all those people in one day was sort of overwhelming. As the twins and Tamaki dragged her out of the house, she wondered why they couldn't all just sit in a circle and get to know each other better. What was the harm in staying home once and awhile! She'd just gotten there and now she was being dragged back out into the streets again...and with these rich bastards at that.

**A/N: Well, I wanted to get the introductions out of the way so I hope you guys weren't too bored with this chapter. I'm planning on having romance for Haruhi with all of the characters except Honey (because he'll be rooting for Takashi anyways). Thanks to those who reviewed and if you haven't done so yet or wants to again, please feel free to! Oh, and I hope you know who the person Haruhi saw an image of was. I hope I kind of made it obvious enough...Yay amnesiac Haruhi!**


	3. Host Club Phone Conference

As Haruhi buttoned the pink shirt with no sleeves up she looked into the body-long mirror. She figured that she had tried on about fifty outfits on already. The boys never seemed to get enough. Apparently, they thought of this as a one-girl fashion show.

"Hurry up Haruhi! We're waiting," she could hear the twins eager voices from beyond the changing rooms walls.

Haruhi sighed and inched her way out of the changing station.

"Sugio! That one looks good too Haru-chan!" Honey exclaimed and looked up at her with his big brown eyes.

"Arigato," Haruhi thanked him with not much emotion. So far, she wasn't buying his cute act. It wasn't that she thought he was being phony. His cuteness just didn't have an effect on her much. Plus, she wasn't too excited about the whole new wardrobe they were forcing on her.

Tamaki was nodding his head up and down, "Yes Haruhi, it does look good!"

"That's what you say every time!" Haruhi said.

"But it's true!" Tamaki whined. "I wouldn't say it if it weren't!"

"Ne, Haruhi...you should wear the belt like this," Hikaru busily unhooked her pink belt that went with her pink shirt and shoes. Kaoru helped him string it back around her waist, leaving a few straps out so that the belt was handing at a tilting angle around her slim waist.

"Don't touch my daughter like that," Tamaki yelled, "You troublesome brothers keep..."

Haruhi blanked Tamaki's rants out and looked around at the six boys. They were unlike anyone she would ever dream meeting. So far she was at the conclusion that Tamaki was loud and meddling yet charming and sweet in his own special way. The twins were mischievous and troublesome but funny too. Honey was cute and happy-go-lucky and so far he didn't seem to have much of a bad side...Takashi was mysterious and quiet, qualities that Haruhi didn't mind. Lastly, Kyouya seemed to be the leader. Other than that, she couldn't say much else about them when she had only met them (other than Tamaki) a few hours ago.

"Tamaki, isn't it about time we head home?" Kyouya asked when he hoped Tamaki had gotten the yells out of his system.

"Ah, you're right Kyouya," Tamaki turned around so that his blond hair swept around his face and forehead, "Besides, Haruhi must be tired from the day's activities." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. After his conversation he said, "Well, the clothes will be delivered to our house by tonight."

"Then we should go have snacks to celebrate," Honey decided, then looked to Haruhi, "You want to, right Haru-chan?"

"Ah...I suppose so," Haruhi put a hand on her stomach and suddenly realized how hungry she was.

"Go change..." Takashi instructed.

"Oh! Right," Haruhi nodded and went back into the changing room. Finally she'd get to be back in her boyish clothes.

* * *

"Considering Honey-sempai brought us to a bakery, there's a limited supply of food here. So, do you know what you want to order Haruhi?" Kyouya inquired.

"Well...this strawberry cheesecake looks good," Haruhi said, pointing to a small picture of the yummy dessert. When she'd seen it she'd suddenly had a flutter in her heart and immediately knew that it was what she'd wanted.

"Good choice Haruhi!" Hikaru and Kaoru displayed thumbs-up signs and their grins.

"Haru-chan have you had that before?" Honey asked, tilting his head to the side.

Haruhi looked thoughtful. "Hmmm...I don't remember eating it before but I'm pretty sure I did."

"Don't worry Haruhi! I'll order for you," Tamaki said and told the waitress his and Haruhi's orders. Next came the twins, who ordered crepes. Takashi and Honey ordered double chocolate chip cakes and Kyouya just got coffee.

"Kyouya-san, don't you like sweets?" Haruhi asked.

"Not much," Kyouya said, "It's unhealthy and sugary things don't really appeal to my tastes."

"I see," Haruhi replied. Kyouya was a different type of person indeed. He was quite interesting already. Naturally, Haruhi had a curiosity about him.

The rest of the snacking period was filled with plenty of chatting, pranks (the twins towards Tamaki) and almost getting kicked out of the bakery for being too noisy (until the waitress realized who Kyouya was).

* * *

Haruhi sighed as she stared up at the ceiling from her bed. She let her mind wander back to the day's events. Everything had gone by so quickly that it was becoming a blur; she found that it was hard to remember conversations and such that had just happened not too long ago. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and held the image of the six boys laughing together in her view. 'No...I have to remember...' she thought. "Suoh Tamaki, Ootori Kyouya, Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru...Haninozuka...Mitsukuni...Morinozuka Takashi," she repeated over and over again so that she wouldn't forget. The image was slowly becoming blurry. Haruhi bit her lip. 'How could this be happening?' she wondered.

_...Haruhi's amnesiac..._

Haruhi remembered what Kyouya had said to her and Tamaki. True, she had lost her memory but did that also mean that she could continue loosing it? She hoped not. Especially since she had met such nice people, though they were a little troublesome.

"Haruhi!" Haruhi heard Tamaki's voice on the other side of her door and her eyes snapped open.

"H-hai?" she called.

"These people want to put your new clothes in your room. So can you come out for awhile?"

Haruhi sighed and walked out of her room. Her eyes bulged when she saw about fifteen people carrying large bags of clothes. "T-Tamaki-san! These are even more clothes than what we bought at the mall!"

"I know! But they include the ones that you didn't have to try on," Tamaki replied. "Now come Haruhi, let's have tea together okay?"

Haruhi nodded and followed Tamaki into a dining room, where the tea was already prepared for them. "Tamaki-san...you really don't have to do all this. There's no way I can wear all those clothes, even in a years time!"

Tamaki beamed at the prospect of Haruhi staying in his company for a year. He hadn't even dawned on the subject of how long the brunette would be staying with him. "But Haruhi, I just want you to have what you need. And the payments are fully taken care of so there's no problem."

Haruhi sighed in frustration. "But I don't _need _everything you're giving me. It's bad enough that you're allowing me to stay in your house but now you're also buying me things. And there's no way I can pay you back, even if I am your servant."

"Servant?" Tamaki blinked, "Why do you say that?"

"Because you said-"

Tamaki held up his hand and stopped her, "Haruhi, forget what I said, okay? I've long ago decided that you aren't my personal maid."

"Then what can I do to pay you back?"

"You can wear the clothes I give you," Tamaki replied and sipped his tea. There was no use in arguing with him.

"Deal," Haruhi said, "But only until I can figure out a better way..."

Ten minutes into drinking tea and light conversation a maid was sent for Tamaki to tell him to come to another quarter of the house. "Ah, well I suppose this is goodnight then Haruhi." Tamaki said and stood.

"You're right," Haruhi said and stood too. "Goodnight Tamaki-san."

"I'll escort you back to your room," the maid said and did just that. Haruhi waved goodbye to her and closed the door behind her. She leaned her back against the door and slid down until her bottom was on the floor. A small smile crept upon her face. For once, Tamaki hadn't acted like a total air-head. Once you got past his flouncing and poetic language, he was actually a nice guy. 'I won't forget...' she promised herself and Tamaki, then stood to go change her clothes.

"Oh, that's right..." she walked to her dresser and peaked inside the many rectangles. On the first level was under garments, the second was full of night gowns, and the third was socks. She pulled out a light blue gown and to please Tamaki, matching light blue socks. She decided against getting matching underwear because she figured no one would see them anyways.

As she walked towards her private bathroom she eyed the doors that she knee led to her walk-in closet. She swallowed and turned the handle...inside was all her new clothes, as expected. Tamaki lied; he had gotten much more than what she'd seen at the store. It seemed she had a pair of shoes for every outfit. Then she noticed a ladder in the corner of the closet. She set it up and climbed until she could see at the top of her closet was another level. Accessories from sunglasses to earrings was lined up, matching with the outfit beneath them.

Haruhi wagged her head and descended from the ladder and went to shower.

* * *

Kyouya sat at his desk, in his favorite chair, staring at the computer screen. He looked glanced at the picture of Haruhi he had taken which was sitting soundly on his desk. Then he took his glasses off, rubbed his eyes and slipped them back on before turning his attention to the glowing screen again.

He was trying his hardest to find out who Haruhi really was. But with having the limited information he did, the search wasn't exactly narrowed down to two people. He never knew how many people in the world went by the name Haruhi. Kyouya's eyes narrowed in determination. Even if he had to hack into the world's main database he would find out who the girl sleeping in Tamaki's house was.

Obviously, she wasn't rich or hardly important for that matter, because he'd yet seen anything about her on the news. But of course he'd been out with the host club the entire day. He sighed and leaned back into his chair. Since searching Haruhi's with brown eyes and brown hair his search had narrowed down a bit, but it was going to be a long journey in finding his match. Plus, how did he know the sick girl hadn't just picked up the name Haruhi from somewhere and just assumed it was her name? You never could tell with people with amnesia... He decided to save his results and search different sites. "There should be websites for missing people..." he mumbled and started typing away again.

* * *

"How come Tono gets to steal such a cute toy," Hikaru glanced at his twin as he got in the bed. "We wouldn't be so bored if Haruhi was with us."

"Yeah, that should've been our idea." Kaoru agreed, then smiled when an image of Haruhi with the pink shirt on flashed in his head. "But who says we won't get to spend time with her too?"

Hikaru grinned and nodded, "You're right."

They sat in silence for awhile as Hikaru played his hand held game and Kaoru watched television. Suddenly Hikaru looked up, "Hey Kaoru?"

"Yeah?"

"What's up with her amnesia? I mean...won't she have to remember eventually?"

"Of course..." Kaoru turned and faced his brother, "Kyouya-sempai already told us-"

"He told us not to get too attached," Hikaru rolled his eyes, "But we're not going to. We're just going to play with her. We'll just have fun..." Hikaru shut down his game and laid in the bed.

"Yeah," Kaoru nodded. But something in Hikaru's voice scared him. It was as if he had rehearsed the conversation with himself. Kaoru sighed and turned out the light. "Goodnight Hikaru."

"Night Kaoru."

* * *

Tamaki shivered as he climbed down the flight of steps that led to Haruhi's room. When he got there he stood at Haruhi's door with his fist posed to knock on the door. 'How...how am I going to tell her?' he wondered and swallowed. 'We just met and now...'

"Tamaki-san?"

"H-Haruhi!" Tamaki jumped in surprise. The petite girl was suddenly standing in the doorway. He hadn't even noticed when she opened the door!

"Is something wrong?"

"Er...um..." Tamaki fiddled with his fingers, "C-can I come in Haruhi?"

Haruhi nodded and stepped away until Tamaki entered the room. Then she blinked at him. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Haruhi it's horrible!" Tamaki suddenly jumped up and embraced her, causing the both of them to fall onto the floor.

"T-Tamaki-san! What're you doing?!"

Tamaki looked up with his now tear filled eyes, "Haruhi, your daddy has to go away for awhile!"

"Nani? Tamaki-san, what the heck are you talking about?"

Tamaki put a hand to his forehead and cried, "Even though we just met I already have to leave your side. My father wishes me to come with him on a business trip. I'm so sorry Haruhi!"

Haruhi sweat dropped and pushed the male off of her. "So what's the big deal?"

Tamaki gasped. His eyes grew wide. "I won't be here with you Haruhi!" He then took her by her shoulders and shook her gently, "I'm not going to be here to watch you. I won't be here to do _anything _with my beloved daughter! Why, how will you ever survive on your own Haruhi?"

Haruhi removed his hands from her shoulders and shrugged, "I'll be fine on my own. Besides, it was about time I left here anyways..."

"LEAVE?! No, Haruhi! No! You will not leave!"

"But if you're not here I wouldn't feel comfortable taking up room in your house so-"

"Then you will go with everyone else until I get back," Tamaki ordered, "Stay there Haruhi. I have calls to make." With that, Tamaki ran out of the room in search of a phone.

"Kyouya! Quickly, we need a Host Club conference on the phone. This is important," Tamaki yelled into the phone.

The Shadow King growled on the other end, "Then I suppose you should call Hikaru and Kaoru on three-way, and I'll get Mori-sempai or Honey-sempai."

"Alright!"

When the twins were on the line and after Honey called Takashi the conference was complete.

"Everyone, listen and listen well. Our beloved Haruhi wants to leave us already!"

"Haru-chan wants to leave? How come?"

"Because I'm going on a trip with my father and the darling girl sees no reason is staying if her father is not here to protect her!"

"While I'm sure she didn't put it those words Tamaki...Haruhi does have a point. It isn't her house to live in, remember?" Kyouya countered.

"And that is why I have to ask you all a very important favor."

"Ah...Tono...you want us to keep Haruhi for you?" Kaoru guessed.

"Exactly Hitachiin Twin!"

"Haru-chan can stay over my house," Honey volunteered. "What about you, Takashi?"

"Un," Takashi replied.

"She can stay over ours a couple of days too," Hikaru and Kaoru said.

"Thank you my friends," Tamaki was on the edge of (fake) tears. "Haruhi will be so excited!"

"Ne, but what about Kyouya?" Everyone could hear Hikaru's smirk even though they couldn't see it. "We didn't hear you invite Haruhi over," Kaoru added.

"That's because I didn't. Since she'll have three houses to go to over the course of Tamaki's little vacation...I see no reason as to why I should be involved."

Tamaki shifted the phone from his left ear to his right, "Kyouya, Haruhi would like it if she could stay with you too!"

"I doubt she'd want you speaking for her like that," Kyouya commented and clicked typed some more on his computer. This was really cutting into his research time. Not only that, but he now had hosts profits to worry about. Tamaki was designated the most and generated the most money. What would happen if his clients had no one to entertain them? "Tamaki...how long will you be gone?"

"Ah, two weeks."

"I see..." Well, that wouldn't be too bad. Maybe his clients would be so starved to see him that they'd buy plenty of Tamaki-items to console themselves for the time being. Yes, he'd see to it that they did.

"Kyou-chan is changing the subject," Honey mused.

"Ah," Takashi stated.

Kyouya's eye twitched. Were the seniors trying to get him in trouble?

"Kyouya," Tamaki said in his most whining voice.

"Alright." Kyouya said.

"Alright?"

"I'll _baby-sit _Haruhi on a day that everyone else is occupied and _only _if everyone else is occupied. And trust me, I'll know the days on which everyone is busy."

"Yay!" Everyone (except Kyouya and Takashi) shouted.

"I'll be leaving Sunday morning, so who shall have her first?" Tamaki asked.

"You do know that Sunday is _tomorrow _right?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked.

"That means even less time for me with Haruhi!"

"Kendo practice," Takashi said.

"I'll be with Takashi tomorrow," Honey put in.

"Then that leaves us," Hikaru said.

"We'll be there to pick her up," Kaoru added.

"Mata ashita," with sly grins they hung up the phone and gave each other high-fives. Tomorrow their fun would begin...

* * *

Haruhi sighed as she covered her body up in her sheets. Tamaki had barged in her room not too long ago, telling her how she would go over everyone's houses for two weeks. She'd never intended on becoming a burden to Tamaki as well as his friends. She turned around and faced the door, as if she expected Tamaki to come barging in and screaming at her that she wasn't a burden to anyone at all. But instead she saw a person standing in the doorway with long red hair. She wasn't sure if the person was a man or woman but she knew she wasn't afraid. More so, she wished the person would walk into her room.

"Ano...who are you?" she asked.

The person disappeared. Haruhi sighed and turned over and faced the wall. 'Please...no more images...'

**A/N: Well, that was fun. Did you guys think Tamaki was going to admit his feelings? Ha!Everybody knows who has red hair right? I'm taking this fic slowly because ya know, friendships don't form over night (unless you live with Tamaki). I hope you'll give me some feedback. Maybe even some ideas on what can happen at the twins' house? **

**Thanks everyone! **


	4. Haruhi plays Bball

It was early in the morning when the maids came busting in, took Haruhi by her shoulders, and carried her away to another part of the mansion. "Hey! What're you doing," Haruhi shouted as they undressed her and proceeded with changing her clothes; ignoring her completely as if they were dressing a manikin.

"Do you like this, Haruhi-san," the maid that Haruhi had come to know as Yuri asked.

Haruhi examined herself in the mirror. She was wearing a light blue shirt with three buttons on it, white Capri's, and light blue gym shoes with the whitest shoelaces she had ever seen. She smiled when she remembered that it was one of the outfits that she had picked out herself at the mall the other day.

"Yes...even though I could've dressed myself, Yuri-san," Haruhi said as she and Yuri made their way back to her room.

"Tamaki-san wanted us to help you," Yuri said with a grin, "He really like you. He's been so excited for the last couple of days."

Haruhi nodded and opened up her door. Her eyes grew large at the sight of several suitcases laid out on the floor and maids and butlers in every area of the room.

"All done Haruhi-san," they all said at once, picked up her suitcases and smiled. Haruhi's eye twitched as they filed out of the room, her suitcases in hand.

"Tamaki-san is currently preparing himself for his departure. He said to tell you that his friends will be picking you up in a bit, so you should prepare yourself too," Yuri said. She bowed and left the room. Haruhi sighed and walked into her private bathroom to brush her teeth.

'Really...do they really think I'll need all of those clothes? It's just two weeks...' she thought blankly. As she exited her bathroom she took one more look at her room and instilled the image in her mind. Then she sighed and made her way out and down the stairs until she reached the dining room, where she and had breakfast just the other day.

'Yet it seems like weeks ago...'

"Haruhi!"

Haruhi nearly toppled over as the back of her body was glomped by an unseen force; Tamaki. "T-Tamaki-san?"

Tamaki blinked and released the girl, then slowly backed away, a faint blush creeping upon his face. "Haruhi...you look-" he covered his face with both his hands and twirled away. "Kawaii!"

"Ah...thanks," Haruhi sweat dropped and plopped down on her favorite couch.

Tamaki bit at his nails as he paced the floor. "There's no way I can allow my precious daughter to spend so much time with those horrible twins..."

"Too late!"

Tamaki and Haruhi jumped in surprise. The twins suddenly had Haruhi in their clutches.

"Y-you- how did you two get in my house," Tamaki yelled, pointing his finger at the doppelgangers.

The Hitachiins swayed from side to side, identical smirks decorating their devilish features. "We have the key."

"Liars!" Tamaki yelled, stamping his feet.

"We're not lying. Just ask Yuri-chan," they said. Tamaki retreated to his dark corner.

"Tamaki-san, it's time for your departure," a butler tapped him on the shoulder. "Please stop sulking and get in your limo. You wouldn't want to keep your father waiting."

"Right," Tamaki whispered. Then he sprang to action and ran to the twins, and Haruhi.

"Don't do anything bad to Haruhi...and Haruhi..." he smiled and patted her shoulder. "Don't let these evil spirits convert you."

"Words of wisdom from Tono," the twins muttered, earning a glare from Tamaki. The twins and Haruhi walked Tamaki to his limo, where his many suitcases were being packed into it, and bid him farewell once again. They could see him pressing his face against the back window as the vehicle took him away from them.

* * *

"Do you like it," they asked as Haruhi examined her new room. The ride to their mansion had been a bit uneventful, for Hikaru suddenly had nothing to say, and Kaoru was busy wondering what was on his brothers' mind. Haruhi had been attentive to the scenery that rolled by when she stared out the window.

"It's big," was Haruhi's plain reply.

"Of course it is," Hikaru told her, a sly smirk creeping his features.

"Now, let's go eat," Kaoru took her hand, along with Hikaru and started to pull her out of the room she had just entered less than a minute ago.

"W-what about unpacking? I just got here!" Haruhi yelled, her cheeks flushing as they hurried her down some stairs and around several corners.

"Don't be silly Haruhi," Kaoru wagged a finger at the girl, "The maids will take care of that."

"Meanwhile..." Hikaru said. They entered the room and the twins stretched their arms out in front of them in a way that reminded Haruhi of Tamaki, "Ta-da!"

Now Haruhi's eyes took in the site of something that could only be described as a play room. It was truly an arcade. There was a section for basketball, in which a machine that spurted out balls, counted your score, had different game-modes, and of course- the net. In the middle of the room was the classic air-hockey board. If you were a fan of ping-pong, it was set up on the right side of the room (opposite the basketball). There was other games as well that Haruhi couldn't identify.

"Joins us Haruhi!" Hikaru and Kaoru were already dueling it out with at the ping-pong area.

"I'd rather not," Haruhi said. The twins gasped and dropped their paddles and the little yellow ball.

They put their hands on their hips and frowned.

"Haruhi, if you don't play with us...what else is there to do?"

"You're in _our _mansion, ya know."

Haruhi nodded and muttered an apology. 'They were kind enough to take me in...yet I was rude enough to deny them. Besides, a little game can't hurt.'

"Let's play basketball," Hikaru suggested. Kaoru turned on the machine and the orange balls started rolling out. Hikaru handed one to Haruhi and instructed, "Shoot."

"Um," Haruhi stared down at the ball in her hands. She vaguely remembered a small child bouncing it up and down but no other memory would come to her. So she concluded that by "shoot," the twin meant to bounce. She dropped the ball onto the floor and it came back up a bit, and she smacked it back down with the palm of her hand. Unfortunately, the ball bounced _away _from her with a few steady bounces, then proceeded to roll away.

The trio stared after the ball for a few seconds before Hikaru started to snicker. Haruhi blushed as the snickering soon erupted into an outburst of uncontrollable laughter from both males.

"That...that was pathetic," Hikaru managed.

"Did you see how she smacked it down!" Kaoru asked, clutching his stomach with one hand and wiping away his tears of joy with the other.

A pink tint formed on Haruhi's cheeks. "Shut up! I've never done this before," she admitted. The embarrassed girl stuffed her hands into her pockets and turned away from them.

"S-sorry Haruhi..." Hikaru said, "It's just that- it was so funny!" Again, he started to laugh.

"What he means is," Kaoru giggled for a last time and put a hand on Haruhi's shoulder and flashed her a grin, "That we'll teach you."

"I'll figure it out on my own." Haruhi made her way over to the fallen ball and back to the net. "Just tell me what you meant by 'shoot.'"

"You're supposed to throw the ball into the net," Hikaru (who had finally overcome his laughing fit) said, using his hands as an aid. A determined look came upon the Haruhi's face, prompting the twins to say, "Do your best Haruhi!"

She nodded, backed up a bit, then threw the ball with all her might towards the net. It came bouncing back with a vengeance, almost taking off their heads in the process.

* * *

Haruhi moaned as she eased her way into the steamy hot water of the large Jacuzzi with massage bubble blasters. Her arms ached like someone had beat them with the hammer of justice until she pleaded guilty. She smiled and delved down deeper into the water until she felt her chin hit the surface of it. Even though the twins had continuously laughed at her and she had missed (more than) several times, she had finally made a basket. She closed her eyes and replayed the scene in her mind.

"_Ne, Haruhi...you're never going to get this alone."_

"_Let us help you, okay?"_

_One twin worked his way behind her and snaked his hands up her arms until his hands were pressed against her own so that they both had the basketball in their hands. The other twin was moving her legs by wrapping his warm, soft hands around her ankles and positioning them. Haruhi silently thanked the maids for not dressing her in a skirt. _

"_That's how you stand to shoot." The twin released her ankles, stood to his full height and gave her a thumbs-up. _

"_And this," the other twin instructed as he helped Haruhi raise the ball into the proper position, "is the angle you hold the ball when you shoot and how you aim." _

"_I see," Haruhi nodded as she determinedly stared at the hoop. "Keep going."_

_The twin behind her pressed up against her a bit more as he moved the ball up and down, trying to get it at the exact spot her wanted it at. He was so close that she could feel his breath on her neck, giving her goose bumps. A faint blush crept up on her as she realized that she had never been that close to someone of the opposite gender before (or the same gender). _

"_Don't forget to bend your knees," the other twin instructed. _

"_I was going to." Haruhi could hear the boy grinding his teeth. Apparently, his brother was distracting him. "Bend you knees with me." _

_As one, they bended their knees and when he whispered in her ear, "let it fly" they let go of the ball and it made a swishing sound into the hoop. _

Haruhi sucked in as much air as she could before plunging her head beneath the water. 'Why do I feel all...fluttery inside?' she wondered. She came up for air and rubbed the water out of her eyes. 'I'm happy' was her answer to her own question. 'Happy because of Hikaru and Kaoru...because we had so much fun, I suppose. I did shoot a basket after all.'

* * *

"Girls sure do take a long time in the tub," Hikaru commented.

"You don't exactly take five minutes yourself, Hikaru." Kaoru reminded his twin with a wave of his finger that a mother would give to a bad little boy.

"But I don't take forever either."

They left it at that as they watched their big screen television. But neither of them was paying much attention to the show, for their thoughts were wandering off to different things.

Kaoru remembered the blushes on Hikaru's and Haruhi's faces as they stood together, aiming the ball at the basket. In Kaoru's eyes they looked like the perfect couple. He could imagine his brother being happy with someone like Haruhi; strong, confident, cute... 'Well, I haven't really got to see her other characteristics yet. But still...' She was the dream come true of what Kaoru had spent nights imagining Hikaru with. Yet he had never imagined himself with anyone but Hikaru. 'Maybe because...there is no one out there for me.'

Hikaru remembered the feel of Haruhi's hands beneath his own as they held up the ball. He had never been as close to a girl like that as he had been to Haruhi, not even when he was hosting. He had only been close to Kaoru. So what possessed him to suddenly get close to Haruhi as he was bewildered him. 'What was I thinking?' he wondered. His gaze shifted from the television to his brother. 'What did Kaoru think about it?' He bit his lip, swallowed his pride and decided to ask.

"Kaoru..."

"Hmmm?" Kaoru raised his eye brows and turned his attention to his brother. "What's up?"

Hikaru looked back at the television in an attempt to avoid his brother's curious face. He was already embarrassed, and Kaoru's attentive gaze wasn't really helping to soothe his mood. So instead of his original question, he started off with something a little lighter.

"Do you think Haruhi likes us?"

"Of course," Kaoru flashed his charming smile, "Why wouldn't she?"

Hikaru shrugged and rolled over onto his back so that his eyes met the ceiling. He put his hands beneath his head. "I was just thinking about the basketball game. That's all."

"About how close you were to her?"

Bingo. It was if Kaoru could read his mind. "Yeah." Hikaru closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If it was hard to express himself to Kaoru- how would it be when he had to do it to someone else? "It just...bothers me..."

"It shouldn't."

Kaoru's bluntness made Hikaru pop his eyes open and stare at his twin with disbelieving eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, dear brother," Kaoru paused to flick his brother's nose. Hikaru frowned and rubbed the spot. "That it's okay to be close to her...because she's the first girl to-"

_**Knock, knock, knock**_

Just as she had been instructed to, after her bath Haruhi had come to the twins' room. Kaoru's eyes glowed mischievously as he whispered, "we'll talk about this later."

"Come in," they chanted in unison.

Haruhi slowly opened the door and revealed herself in her glorious white, fluffy robe. "Not that I don't have other pairs that I could wear...but did you guys happen to see the pajamas I was going to wear?"

"Nope," they lied (with practiced straight faces).

"Really," Haruhi stated more than asked. She was ventured into the room until she stood by their bedside. "So...did you guys like my pajamas?"

"Nope," they admitted.

"They were so plain and ugly," Hikaru commented.

"And why should you wear pants at night anyways? Wouldn't you be uncomfortable," Kaoru asked.

"Is that so?" Haruhi's narrowed. Then she put a finger to her mouth. "Oh, and I never did get a chance to ask- who's who?"

"Who?" They asked back. Then they grinned, "Oh, that."

"He's Hikaru."

"And he's Kaoru."

"So...at least Kaoru was worried about my well being but you, Hikaru," Haruhi leaned into the boy, "you weren't worried and you came up with the idea to steal them because you found them ugly. Right?"

"No!" Hikaru countered. "We thought of it at the same time!"

"Hikaru!" Kaoru smacked his forehead.

"Oh..." Hikaru realized his mistake and gave Kaoru an apologetic look with a shrug, "she dragged it out of me."

"So, where is my pajamas," Haruhi asked. She started to check under the bed, "Under here?"

"As if we'd hide them in such an obvious place," Hikaru said. "Don't insult our intelligence."

Haruhi stared him down, "Then where are they?"

The twins grinned and said simultaneously, "This leads to our next game, I suppose."

Haruhi moaned and smacked her forehead. "Life is just one big game to you two isn't it?"

"Yup!"

* * *

Tamaki sighed as he laid in the bed of the highest-priced hotel his father could find. True, it had come as a surprise that his father had invited him on the trip, but now he was really grateful and excited about it. Yet a feeling of loss swirled deep within him. Every time he turned around he thought he saw Haruhi and every time he closed his eyes he saw her smiling. It had come to the point when his father had to snap him out of a daydream (aka Inner Mind Theatre).

"I know! I'll call her." He hurriedly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the Hitachiin cell phone.

"Hello," came one of the twin's voices.

"Hitachiin twin, let me speak to Haruhi," Tamaki said.

"Wow...a hello would be nice Tono."

"Ah...sorry...hello. Now where's Haruhi?!"

"Calm down, she looking for her clothes so she's preoccupied at the moment. Call back later." _Click._

Tamaki stared at his phone in disbelief. "He...he hung up on me! I didn't get to speak to Haruhi!" The blond started to jump on his bed like an over grown child, "Let me speak to Haruhi!"

Again, he dialed the number. No one answered. It was two in the morning when someone finally did answer (and by then Tamaki had called close to two hundred times).

"Milord...you have got to stop calling this number or I'll call the cops. Haruhi is asleep and you should be too. Good night."

"No! I need to talk to her," Tamaki was on the verge of tears.

There was a shuffle as if the twin was giving the phone up to someone else. Then the twin said, "we'll have her call you first thing in the morning. Until then leave us alone." _Click._

Tamaki sighed and hung up his phone. Finally, a little lean-way. He sighed and closed his eyes. 'I'll talk to Haruhi in the morning...'

* * *

Kyouya sat his glasses in the leather case. He had been searching for Haruhi all night but with no avail. 'Maybe she really did pick up that name off the streets.'

Then he wondered what she was doing at the moment until his eyes scanned his digital clock. 2:37. 'Asleep then...good.'

He plopped down into his bed without bothering to take his clothes off.

Ootori Kyouya was on a mission. Until that mission was complete he wouldn't get a full rest. 'I'll find out who that girl really is...'

**A/N: Yay for slight HikaxHaru goodness, right? Don't worry; I'm planning on one or two more chapter with Haruhi at the Hitachiin house, then we'll be moving on to Honey's house. (tempts readers with a cookie for reviews). Reviews make me feel all warm inside, and warm feelings are necessary for good Ouran stories! **


	5. The Ferris Wheel

"Haruhi...it's time to play..." two voices whispered in her ear in a somewhat creepy manner. Their shadows loomed over her shoulder and she could hear the mischief in their voices. It was Monday, and the twins had just got home from school. Haruhi had actually gotten some relaxation in at their time of absence, but now that they were back she found her peaceful serenity breaking into little pieces.

The world went by in a flash as Haruhi found herself being carried by her arms and thrown into the backseat of a limo. That's when she realized that she was sandwiched in between the two first year Little Devils. They were grinning and chatting about something, leaving Haruhi to wonder how everything had happened so quickly. After awhile their conversation was directed towards her outfit.

Haruhi rolled her eyes and stared out the window the best she could with half of Hikaru's body covering it. Her eyes widened when she took sight of something that was coming up, something big and unexpected. She unconsciously leaned forward so that she could get a better look out of the window.

"You know, if you wanted to see that badly we could've just switched seats," Hikaru informed her.

Haruhi blinked and looked up at him. Hikaru blinked; it was cute how her bangs fell into her eyes, yet her chocolate orbs could still stare up at him so innocently.

"Sorry," she said as she leaned back into her own seat, "I was just wondering what that huge...thing was."

Hikaru and his twin smirked as they pulled up into the parking lot. As soon as they opened the doors, they ushered Haruhi along into the main entrance. Now Haruhi could see even bigger 'things' than what she had seen before, as well as food stands and kiddy rides and other rides of all kinds.

"Welcome to...the amusement park!" Kaoru and Hikaru spread out their arms in a manner that reminded Haruhi of Tamaki.

"Wow," Haruhi whispered words of astonishment as she unconsciously walked further into the establishment. "It's so big!"

"That," Hikaru pointed to the 'thing' Haruhi had seen earlier, "is a roller coaster."

"You aren't scared right," both twins asked, sly smirks painting their colorful features.

Haruhi shook her head as she watched a cart full of people get taken to the very top of one of the taller coasters, and listened to their screams as the ride dropped them with great speed. "No...I think I'm more excited than anything."

"Yay!" the twins cheered, pumping their fists into the air. "Then let's get going!" Each grabbed her hand and started to drag her away to the first ride. Yet Haruhi got a familiar feeling as she rode the roller coaster, became sick from the tea cup ride, and drove the bumper cars.

Kaoru bumped her playfully from behind. Haruhi turned and looked at him; he smiled and waved, then drove off to bump someone else. Hikaru slammed into her without remorse. Haruhi found her little car slamming into the protective pads of the arena.

"Hey," she yelled. Hikaru laughed and slammed into her again. After getting slammed around by the twins some more, they took her into the Haunted House, where she proved to be less than scared.

The twins weren't pleased at all. They came out of the house with their hands stuffed in their pockets and sighing.

"Haunted Houses aren't any fun when your company doesn't get scared," they said.

"Well, it was obvious that the props weren't real. And why should I be scared of ghosts if I've never seen one before?" Haruhi countered. The trio went on to the game stands.

"Hikaru, win Haruhi a stuffed animal," Kaoru instructed, giving his brother the little ball that he would have to knock the pins down with.

"Why me? You're just as good at this as I am," Hikaru complained. Kaoru stole a glance at Haruhi, who was sipping at her soft drink, totally oblivious as to what was going on.

"Just do it." Kaoru said. Hikaru rolled his eyes and threw the ball continuously until he had hit all of the targets. He proceeded in picking out the biggest bear there was; a life sized white fluffy bear with a stripped sweater on.

"Yo! Haruhi, I got you this bear," Hikaru said, handing the bear to Haruhi.

Haruhi gasped as the bear was stuffed into her hands. "Thanks Hikaru," she mumbled, trying to make sure the fur didn't get stuck in her mouth. "It's nice...although I really have no clue what to do with it."

Hikaru scratched his head and shot Haruhi an annoyed look. "You just keep it...at least I think that's what girl's do with those things." He shrugged and looked away, "Kaoru and I don't really like stuffed animals, so I wouldn't know either."

"I see..." Haruhi nodded, then looked around, "Speaking of Kaoru...where is he?"

"Huh?" Hikaru raised her eye brows and looked around too. Kaoru was no where to be seen! "What the- Kaoru? Kaoru!"

"Where's Kaoru," he asked the brunette, wrapping his hands around her shoulders.

"Maybe he went to get some more to drink," Haruhi offered. "Or to the bathroom."

"He would've told me if he was going anywhere," Hikaru's voice was nearly at it's panicking stage. He looked around frantically, calling his brother's name. Haruhi tried to calm him down, but without much avail.

"Hikaru, wait up!" Haruhi said as she practically ran to catch up with him. "Why don't you just call him?"

"Kao-" Hikaru stopped dead in his tracks and whipped around to look at Haruhi. "Right..." he said, his face heating up despite his wishes. He pulled out his cellular and called Kaoru. It rung a few times before Kaoru answered. "Kaoru! Where are you!"

"Right behind you."

Hikaru's eyes widened as he swung around, "What do you mean? I don't see you!"

Then he spotted him. Kaoru was waving happily, a grin plastered on his face, from a concession stand. Hikaru dropped his phone onto the floor and started to run towards his brother. He reached him in record time and nearly toppled him as he embraced him with full force. "Kaoru..."

"Hikaru...I was only gone for ten minutes..."

"I know but...I was worried," Hikaru, feeling flustered and a bit embarrassed, hugged his brother tighter. Haruhi stood not too far away from them, staring at the scene shared only by the two brothers. It was then that she realized just how close they were to each. A feeling washed over her and she didn't know quite how to describe or label it. At first she wondered, 'If I got lost...would either of them care?' Then she remembered that in actuality she really was lost. It seemed like she had been with the hosts for so long that there was nothing and no one other than them. 'Is anyone out there...looking for me?'

* * *

Fujioka "Ranka" Ryoji walked tiredly into his apartment. He had just finished another fruitless search for his daughter. It was just impossible to find her! No one had seen a girl with short brown hair and big brown eyes. It was almost as if her very existence had been wiped clean from the face of the earth.

The tired okama plopped into his chair and glanced at the picture of his deceases wife. Not only was the love of his life gone, now the one person he had to remind him of her was gone as well. Tears welled in his eyes and dripped down his face. Ranka wouldn't give up, couldn't give up. 'I'll find you if it kills me Haruhi' he silently promised.

* * *

It was getting pretty late as they rode the biggest roller coaster for the third time that day. After getting off of it they sat on a bench. "The perfect way to end a day at the park is of course, the Ferris wheel." Kaoru said, glancing between Hikaru and Haruhi.

"The Ferris Wheel is boring," Hikaru muttered.

"But Haruhi's never been on one, so she has to ride it." Kaoru said. "You take her on there while I go put this giant bear in the limo."

"What," Hikaru jumped up just as Kaoru stood. "Why should I-"

"Well, you _did _freak out in front of her earlier. This is your way of making it up to her. Plus, I'm tired," Kaoru reasoned. He waved as he walked away, "Hurry up. If you don't come on soon then I'll get the limo to leave you."

Hikaru grumbled all the way to the ride, not even noticing how quiet Haruhi was being. She noticed how there seemed to be many couples getting onto the ride. They boarded and Haruhi seated across from Hikaru. They rose slowly into the air, until Haruhi could see over top of everything and she could get a good look at the setting sun. The sky seemed to be ablaze with it's red orange color. It was truly beautiful.

Hikaru shifted uncomfortably when the ride froze just as they had reached the very top. After a few minutes someone on a loudspeaker said, "Sorry folks! We're having technical difficulties but we'll have you down momentarily!"

Haruhi looked at Hikaru and smiled softly, "I guess we're stuck here for awhile."

Hikaru nodded and looked away. He wished Kaoru was with him. It was weird being alone with Haruhi. A gust of wind suddenly swept their hair. Haruhi shivered.

"It's getting cold," she mumbled and hugged her arms around her own body. She was wearing a short sleeved shirt that didn't prove to be fairing well against the weather at all. Hikaru, on the other hand, was in his stylish designer jacket.

He noticed the chill bumps forming on the girl's arms as the wind continued it's assaults.

"Come here," he said.

"Huh?" Haruhi, who had been gazing at the sun, looked at Hikaru with a puzzled expression.

"Come here..." he repeated. She was confused, yet she did what he wanted and slowly made her way over to his bench. She sat next to him, but not too close. Then she felt cloth drape over her shoulders. She looked up at him but Hikaru was looking away. He mumbled, "I don't get cold fast."

Haruhi nodded and hugged the jacket closer to her. It was warm, and it smelled strangely like honeysuckle. "Hikaru...you were really scared back then, weren't you?"

There was silence before he answered, and Haruhi wondered if she had become too bold with her questions.

"Yeah, I was...I thought Kaoru was lost or something," he finally replied.

"I understand."

Hikaru looked down at her. Those words echoed in his head over and over again. She had said it so sincerely that he knew that she really did understand. It was like magic; someone other than Kaoru actually _understood _him.

"I mean," Haruhi's eyes were glossed as if she was in a daze, "You must really care about each other...that's special...I wouldn't want to lose anyone I really care about either. Even though it feels like I've already lost someone..."

Although Hikaru didn't quite know what she was talking about, he could feel her pain. In his eyes, Haruhi was just someone that Tamaki had brought around, seemingly for everyone's amusement. But now she was turning into so much more. The reality that Haruhi had a life somewhere else finally dawned on Hikaru. And he hated it.

"Sorry..." he whispered. His hands gained a mind of their own as he put his hand around her shoulder and closed the space in between them. "Sorry...Haruhi..."

Haruhi, stunned and dazed, stared straight ahead as her face turned pink. Yet she smiled and nodded. They sat like that in silence for what seemed like years; neither wanting to break the magic moment by speaking. Then the ride jerked and on the bull horn, "It works again!"

As they lowered, Hikaru took his arms back and Haruhi looked down at her hands that was resting in her lap. Hikaru looked out of the window.

When they exited the ride they said nothing, until Kaoru came running up to them with a smile. "So you two got stuck on that ride, huh?"

"Oh yeah...sorry," Hikaru said.

The ride home was awkward. Haruhi drifted off into sleep and her head fell onto Kaoru's shoulder so that he couldn't move. Hikaru was awfully quiet, but Kaoru didn't bother him.

* * *

Kaoru laid on his bed. Haruhi was in her Jacuzzi and Hikaru was showering. He was already finished washing. He mused over whether or not his plans had worked or not. At first, he had disappeared on purpose. But that plan had self destructed when Hikaru had freaked out. But it turned around when he had gotten them on the Ferris Wheel together and paid big bucks to get the operator to stop the ride for fifteen minutes. He wondered what had happened up there.

"You done already," Hikaru asked as he entered the room, clad in a towel.

"Yup!" Kaoru replied cheerfully. When Hikaru was well situated Kaoru asked, "So? Did you have fun with Haruhi?"

He didn't fail to notice how his brother's eyes widened when he said that. Then Hikaru replied, "Yeah...the amusement park passes time," and leaned back.

"That's it? I mean...what about the 'boring' Ferris Wheel?"

"What about it?"

Kaoru slapped his forehead. "Hikaru...you know I know something had to happen. I'm Kaoru, remember?"

Hikaru sat up and sighed. He ran his fingers through his locks, back and forth.

"We...talked..."

"About what?"

"About you, about her. That's all."

"Well what happened?"

"We were quiet after that."

"That's it?" Kaoru watched his brother as he slipped into a shirt. Hikaru looked back at him and nodded.

"She was cold...so I shared me body heat."

Kaoru burst out laughing.

"WHAT?!" Hikaru yelled, a furious blush coloring his cheeks.

"W-wait...you shared your...what?!" Kaoru gasped between laughs.

Hikaru threw a pillow at his twin, then laughed too when he jumped onto Kaoru and wrestled him onto the floor. They were still laughing and wrestling when Haruhi knocked on the door.

"Come in!" They said in unison. The door slowly opened and Haruhi entered. Her hair was tied into a short, yet cute ponytail and she was wearing a peach night gown. The twins displayed identical thumbs-up signs, "Good job Haruhi!"

Haruhi fiddled with her bangs and, when they instructed her to do so, laid between the two boys. The bed was big enough for Kaoru, Haruhi and Hikaru (in that order) to lay out in the bed and watch the television. They had the maids to deliver some snacks up to the room and as they munched and laughed, a sense of absolute happiness filled the room. It was if they had always been together, children that had known each other since kindergarten. It was almost as if they were family. Yet Kaoru could feel a different type of chemistry floating between Haruhi and his brother.

So he mused on the thought of having a sister to numb the dull pain that was slowly taking him over. He knew that if Hikaru realized how he felt about Haruhi then he could eventually be left in the dust, but for the time that he had that he could still share with his brother, he would be satisfied with that.

As his eyes scanned Hikaru and Haruhi's laughing faces he felt a different pang at his heart. He had been so busy trying to get Hikaru and Haruhi together, that he didn't realize how beautiful Haruhi truly was; inside and out. He shivered and brushed the thought away. 'Haruhi...is for Hikaru' he reminded himself. Yet his heart would still skip a beat with every emotion she showed.

That night, Haruhi lay in bed wide awake. The day's events swirled through her mind. It had been a pretty good day all in all. In fact, it had been perfect. Yet she tried her best not to dwell on the scene in the Ferris Wheel too long. Whenever she tried to think of something else she would remember how Hikaru's jacket had smelled, how her ear tingled when he had whispered and how close their bodies had been at that special moment. It was if Hikaru had possessed her!

She turned in bed and willed herself to sleep. When she closed her eyes a man with red hair flashed in her vision. Her eyes popped opened and she sat up, breathing heavily, little drips of sweat on her forehead. She had been dreaming about someone- someone she couldn't place a name on.

"Yo, Haruhi..."

There was a knock on her door then- "You awake?"

"Yes...come in," she said. The door opened and revealed the twins.

"We heard you scream or something," Kaoru said as they walked to her bed side. "You okay?"

"Yeah...just a bad dream." Haruhi replied.

"You want us to stay with you?" Hikaru asked.

Haruhi blushed and shook her head, "No! I'm fine. You guys can go back to bed."

"Don't be silly Haruhi," Kaoru said and pushed her so that she was laying down again. He pulled the covers back and, to both her and Hikaru's surprise, climbed into the bed with her. "We'll stay here for as long as you need us."

Hikaru, accustomed to doing what his brother did, climbed in the bed as well on the opposite side so that Haruhi found herself once again sandwiched between them. Kaoru took her right hand and Hikaru took her left in his.

"Good night Haruhi," they whispered.

There was no use arguing with them so Haruhi sighed and decided that it wouldn't be that bad if they slept with her for just one night. "Goodnight," she whispered.

**A/N: Well, how was that? I know there was no other character appearances (other than Ranka) but it's meant to be that way. I know you might think I ripped the Ferris Wheel scene off from that episode and if you think that- you're right! This was my version of it...sort of. Actually, that was totally unplanned. Anyway, I hope you liked it! **

**P. S, What pairing do you like best? I still don't know who the final pairing will be, so help me out okay? Thanks! **


	6. Where the Heart Leads

Tamaki was going crazy. He couldn't get the images of Haruhi out of his head. She appeared everywhere; in his dreams, in reality. Everything reminded him of her and _everything _was her. She was everywhere no matter where he went. He swallowed and thought 'I miss my precious daughter so much.'

And even though he told himself that, there was always that nagging thought in the back of his head. It sat there tingling his brain until he got a headache.

Haruhi wasn't his daughter.

* * *

It was Friday and the twins had no school because it was Teachers Appreciation Day. At least, that's what the twins told Haruhi. She wasn't sure if that was true or not. There was always the possibility that they had just ditched so that they could have more time with her.

Kaoru woke up earlier than everyone that day. He had a plan to go through with. He made sure the maids would take Haruhi's clothes as soon as she got into the shower that morning. Usually, Haruhi would take a bath at night. But considering Hikaru and Kaoru had kept her up late at night playing board games, she would have to settle for a morning shower. So the maids would steal Haruhi's clothes when she was in the shower (he was sure that her clothes would be on the toilet like they always were) and deliver them to the twins' room. That's when Kaoru would carry out phase two of the plan.

"Good morning, Hikaru-sama, Kaoru-sama," a pretty young maid greeted. She held Haruhi's clothes in her hands and lifted them up to show them off. "Um...could you deliver these to Haruhi-san?"

"What?" Hikaru asked, tilting his head to the side. "Isn't that _your _job?"

Kaoru and the maid, Matsuri sweat dropped. Of course it was her job...

"Er- sure we'll give it to her," Kaoru said and took the clothes quickly and sat them in Hikaru's hands.

"What? Why would we-"

"Don't worry about it," Kaoru said and waved his brother off. "Arigato Matsuri-chan!"

"Of course Hitachiin-sama," Matsuri bowed several times before taking her leave. Why, oh why, did she get stuck serving such weird people?

"Anyways Hikaru, I'm going to go shower now. So you just go and give Haruhi those clothes," Kaoru said. He swung a towel over his shoulder and ran out of the room as quickly as he could. Hikaru stood there as the cloud of smoke that had trailed behind Kaoru slowly disappeared.

"What was that about," he asked himself, one had placed on his hip, the other clutching Haruhi's clothes. He sighed and muttered a 'whatever' before making his way to Haruhi's bathroom.

Kaoru breathed in and out, his hands on his knees. He wiped his brow and sighed. Mission accomplished. He wondered if anything would really happen between Hikaru and Haruhi just by them being in the same bathroom. Probably not...but it was worth a shot if it was for his brother's happiness.

It had been four days since the day he had gotten Haruhi and Hikaru on the Ferris wheel, and since then he had continued his mischief in getting the couple together. No matter how much it hurt to let them be alone together, no matter how much he wanted to do the opposite of what he was doing by working on getting himself with Haruhi instead, he couldn't- he wouldn't. 'Because...I want Hikaru to be happy...' he thought. Yet there was always that burning sensation that game to his cheeks when Haruhi wore a cute outfit or smiled. There was always that tingle in his hand whenever he touched her.

"Ignore it," he whispered to himself and closed his eyes. "Ignore it..."

* * *

"Yo, Haruhi!" Hikaru called from outside of the door. He didn't know why in the world he was doing this. Haruhi should get her own clothes for crying out loud! He didn't know why he simply didn't get a maid to deliver the clothes to Haruhi. He grumbled, and closed his eyes while twisting the handle to the bathroom door. "I'm coming in!"

He walked in and the sound of the shower running invaded his ears. No wonder she hadn't heard him; the shower was so loud. Steam filled the large bathroom, Hikaru could feel it all around him even though he couldn't see it. His eyes were still closed.

"Haruhi I have your clothes. Where are you?"

"Who's there?" Haruhi called. She had barely heard Hikaru's voice. "Ah!" She screeched when shampoo had slipped into her eyes.

"It's Hikaru- what's wrong?" Hikaru opened his eyes and looked straight ahead. He blushed and turned around quickly. "Oh Kami-sama!"

The shower stall wasn't one with a curtain, but a glass door was the only thing that separated the shower and the rest of the room. The glass wasn't see through- but it did show Haruhi's body as if it were a shadow. Hikaru had gotten an eyeful of Haruhi's silhouette. "Haruhi, I'm just going to put your clothes on the toilet, okay?"

Hikaru slowly walked backwards so that he wouldn't have to see Haruhi's body again. Yet he didn't see the towel on the floor. "Ah!"

He landed on his back after slipping on not the body towel- but a bright yellow banana peel placed there by none other than Hitachiin Kaoru. His body made a loud sound as he hit the ground. "Ow..." he muttered.

"Hikaru, what happened?" Haruhi, startled by the loud THUD quickly slid back the glass door and peaked her head out.

Hikaru, still on the floor, saw Haruhi with upside down vision. He blushed at the sight of Haruhi, with her wet bands sticking to her face and water slowly sliding down her entire face and what he could see of her shoulder and arm that was protruding from the shower.

Before he could respond she slipped back into the shower, turned the water off, and stepped out, a pink body towel wrapped around her slender frame. In her haste to see if the fallen boy was alright, she ended up slipping on the blasted banana as well.

"Ah!"

"What the-"

"AH!" The yelled simultaneously. Their cheeks burned bright reds as they maneuvered their bodies away from the other's. Haruhi had landed on top of Hikaru. Her head had landed on his stomach so that the rest of his body was covered with her own.

"S-sorry," Haruhi stuttered, holding her hands up in defense, the red not going away from her cheeks.

"It's...it's okay," Hikaru tried to get up again, but failed and slipped on the body towel.

Haruhi sighed and carefully got to her feet, holding the towel over her body with one hand. She smiled softly and extended her free hand out to the clumsy boy. Hikaru smiled crookedly and accepted her hand then let her gently pull him to his feet.

"Shouldn't the gentleman be the one helping the damsel in distress?" Hikaru asked, grinning and trying to make light of the situation despite his ultimate discomfort. Haruhi looked so cute- adorable in her the towel that stopped at her knees.

"Not in this case." Haruhi said and laughed. Hikaru swallowed; her laughter was like music.

"Yeah..." he scratched his head and looked away from her, "I...I should be going."

"Okay," Haruhi nodded. "Is breakfast ready?"

It was just like Haruhi to make small talk in such an uncomfortable place, Hikaru thought. She didn't seem bothered at all by the fact that she was standing in front of him with nothing covering her naked body but a towel.

"It should be ready in a bit...so meet me and Kaoru when you're done...um...drying off," he said as he made his way back to the door. When he finally reached it he couldn't help but look back one last time- instilling her cute look in his mind. He sighed as he closed the door behind him, his cheeks burning despite his wishes to calm down.

'Why do I feel like this?' he wondered. He looked down at the ground and wondered how things had became like that in just a short while. Haruhi was now the center of what occupied his mind. And even though he had tried to ignore it for his own selfish wishes- he did notice that Kaoru seemed to be feeling the same as he did. But there was no use ignoring it anymore. He had to do something about it before someone ended up getting hurt.

"Hey Kaoru," Hikaru peeked his head into the bedroom. He was so nervous his hands were shaking.

"What's up?" Kaoru looked up at him and tilted his head to the side. It was after breakfast, which had been quite awkward for Hikaru. Haruhi had been so cute eating her waffles topped with strawberries that he could barely enjoy his own food. Now Haruhi was reading a book in her room (she had demanded that they let her digest her food properly) and Kaoru had taken to actually doing his homework.

"About Haruhi..."

Kaoru looked up from his work and stared intently at his brother. 'Don't say it...' he thought. He wasn't ready for Hikaru to admit his feelings about Haruhi- not so soon. His own pains was still fresh in his mind and if Hikaru was actually conscious to the fact that he liked Haruhi more than a friend...what was he going to do?

Although he had worked so hard over the last couple of days to get them together, he wasn't actually trying to get them _together. _He was only trying to get Hikaru to really enjoy Haruhi's company. But if Hikaru confessed and if Haruhi felt the same way... 'Where does that leave me?'

"You...you like Haruhi too, don't you?"

Now that was a surprise. Kaoru accidentally dropped his school books on to the floor and laughed nervously.

"What's this so suddenly," he asked. "What do you mean like Haruhi? Of course I like her. She's our friend, isn't she?"

"You know what I mean..." Hikaru neared his brother, "I have to know Kaoru."

"Oh, so you like her, eh?" Kaoru asked, still grinning. Hikaru frowned and put his hands on Kaoru's shoulders.

"This isn't a game Kaoru! I have to know," he yelled.

Kaoru's expression darkened as he stared his brother in the eyes. "I, of all people know this isn't a game...and if it was a game then you would've been the one to make it up."

He brushed Hikaru's hands away and stood, meeting his brother's stern gaze. "And yes, I do like Haruhi but I-"

"Why didn't you tell me! You knew it before I did, didn't you?" Hikaru snapped.

"What difference would it have made? We just..." Kaoru plopped down back in his chair and took on a nonchalant air, "we just have feelings for the same girl. It's natural isn't it? Since we're twins and all..."

"Don't try switching rolls," Hikaru muttered, "And besides, this is something different. Kaoru..." he moved to touch Kaoru's hair, "we can't just ignore something like this can we?"

"No." Kaoru answered truthfully. Then he smiled, "That's why you're going to be with Haruhi, not me."

"What?" Hikaru took a step back. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means dear brother, that I won't pursue Haruhi at all," Kaoru replied. "You on the other hand, will make sure that Haruhi becomes yours."

Hikaru gawked at his brother, his mirror image, the person he thought he would understand no matter what the circumstances. "Kaoru...you can't give up your own happiness for mines."

Kaoru laughed and pretended to be interested in his homework again. He said without looking at Hikaru, "I'll be happy if you're happy."

Hikaru's body shook with emotion. Should he be happy, sad, angry? What was Kaoru thinking? Was it alright to do what Kaoru said and pursue Haruhi without minding how Kaoru felt...even though he said he would be happy if he and Haruhi were together? So many questions whirled through his mind...yet he didn't have much time left.

* * *

Haruhi touched a hand to her thumping heart. She could hear it pumping in her ears at a quickened pace. She was standing right outside the twins' bedroom door. She was going to knock but she had heard their voices. So she turned to leave and come back later but that was impossible when she heard Hikaru say, "you...you like Haruhi too, don't you?"

Since then Haruhi had been glued to the same spot. Their voices had raised then dropped again. Realizing the conversation was basically over in the room, Haruhi's feet seemed to move automatically. They took her to her bedroom, where she pulled out her new phone (compliments of Hikaru and Kaoru) and dialed a number that had been placed on her list.

"Hello?"

"Tamaki-san?"

"H-Haruhi! You called me," Tamaki yelled. Then he cleared his throat and said in a nicer manner, "What is it that you want, precious one? For your father to come home perhaps? Do you miss me?"

"Sure Tamaki-san," Haruhi said. Her eyes diverted to the door and she wondered if the twins were coming. "Anyways, I need you to do a favor for me."

"A favor? Anything Haruhi! Just name it and it will be done."

Haruhi bit her lip and hesitated. Yet she was sure this was the best thing to do... "Can you call someone to pick me up? I mean...take me away from the Hitachiin house for awhile?"

There was a long silence before Tamaki spoke and Haruhi wondered if he had hung up on her.

"Haruhi...why do you want to leave their house?"

"Oh...well...I'm just ready to leave is all. I mean, I'd rather not overstay my welcome." Haruhi replied.

Tamaki's voice brightened again when he said, "Oh! Okay then, I'll call someone to tell them...by the way, is this your number? Can I call you on it anytime?"

Haruhi answered those questions and plenty more before hanging up. She sighed and thought, 'Tamaki-san must really care about me...doing all this stuff for me and all...the twins too.'

As Haruhi walked the long hallway that led to the twins' room she pondered over whether or not she had made the right decision or not.

'It's best for me to leave. If they really do like me like that...then I can't stay here. I'll only cause trouble.'

Haruhi wasn't sure how she felt about their feelings for her. Yet she knew she couldn't bare staying in their house. It'd be leading them on if she continued to reside in their house, roping them into her even further.

She knocked on the door and- "Hello...Haruhi..." whispers in her ear from behind said. Haruhi, used to their sudden appearances behind her turned around to face them.

"What's up," they asked, placing their arms around her shoulders.

"I'm leaving," she said. She didn't mean to be blunt, but it certainly came out that way.

"Huh?" Hikaru and Kaoru jumped back and stared at her momentarily. Their eyes looked from her in confusion, to each other in Little Devil style.

"Oh...right, right Haruhi," Hikaru nodded.

"Of _course_ you are," Kaoru agreed.

"You're leaving with us to the movies," they said in a happy unison.

Haruhi shook her head and took in a deep breath.

"Hikaru, Kaoru...I really am leaving. When I say this I mean that I'm going to one of your friends house. This was planned before wasn't it?"

"But why," they asked, each of their voices tensing.

"There's no reason for you to leave! We're not busy or anything," Hikaru reasoned.

"And we were having fun!" Kaoru said.

"I know...but I don't want to impose anymore."

At their shocked expressions Haruhi sighed again and said, "It's just time for me to go..."

"We don't want you to," they said. Haruhi looked up at not so happy twins. Their faces were each masked with emotion.

"We won't let you," Hikaru said. "We want you to stat here with us! You can't just leave whenever you want to."

"Hikaru-" Haruhi and Kaoru started but were both cut off by the elder Hitachiin.

"No! You say you don't want to impose on anyone, well what do you think you'll be doing when you go to Honey-sempai or Mori-sempai or Kyouya's house when there's no reason for you to?"

Haruhi looked down at the ground and remained silent as Hikaru continued to scold her.

"You just don't like us! Just admit it Haruhi! Nobody likes the selfish twins, right?"

"That's not true!" Haruhi shot back. She stared him in his golden eyes, her hands balling into fists. "I do too like you Hikaru...and Kaoru too, so do _not _put words in my mouth!"

Hikaru shook in anger. "Whatever..." he mumbled. "Just go Haruhi...you're right. It really is time for you to go." With that, he walked into his room and slammed the door behind him.

Kaoru looked down at Haruhi and put a hand on her shoulder, "Hikaru doesn't really mean that Haruhi. He's just angry because he was just starting to-"

"Like me?" Haruhi asked. Kaoru stood their dumbfounded. "Yes...I know."

"You know...?"

"I was standing outside your door awhile ago. I didn't mean to listen but-"

Suddenly, Haruhi's body was against Kaoru's as he held her in a tight embrace. He whispered in her ear, "So that's why you want to leave? Alright...I understand...I'll do damage control with Hikaru and you...you find out where your heart is. I'll send down some maids to pack your bags for you."

Haruhi stood there as Kaoru entered his room and left Haruhi in the hallway alone. She wondered what in the world had just happened. Feeling numb, she walked back to her room. She jumped when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered tiredly.

"Wow Haru-chan! You sound sleepy, do you need a nap?"

Haruhi had to search her mind for the answer as to who was on the phone. The voice sounded strangely familiar... Her mind raced back to the time that she had went to the mall she went to the mall and she was proud of herself for actually being able to remember something for once.

"Hello, Honey-san...yes, I'm just a little tired."

Honey giggled and said, "You don't have to be so formal Haru-chan. Just call me Honey, okay? Anyways, I'm coming to pick you up in the morning, so be ready!"

"Okay...and thanks for this on such short notice."

"No problem," Honey piped. "Well, bye-bye Haru-chan."

"Bye," Haruhi hung up the phone and stuffed it back into her pocket. She sat on the floor and stared out into space, wondering how in the world she was going to make up with Hikaru and if she even wanted to. What was there to get so angry about in the first place?

'And all those things he said weren't necessary...' she thought bitterly. 'There was no reason for him to yell at me like that.'

* * *

Kaoru was a liar. As he stared at Hikaru sleeping quite restlessly he thought that. Hikaru had hurt Haruhi...the one they both loved. If Hikaru was supposed to care for Haruhi, then why did he have to lash out at her like that? Years of being with is brother gave him the answer: Hikaru just couldn't help it. Him lashing out at Haruhi like that only proved how much he really did care about her.

But Kaoru couldn't bare the look in Haruhi's eyes as Hikaru continuously yelled at her. He would never in his life yell at her like that, he knew. Yet he couldn't say something like that to Hikaru, less he wanted to have an argument with his best friend.

'But Hikaru isn't good for Haruhi...not if he will always lose his temper like that.' he thought. He stared out the window, and didn't sleep at all that night. But he didn't look back at Hikaru either.

**A/N: Now this is a tense chapter. Of course, with Honey coming into it, things won't stay that way for too long. Anyways, the plot is thickening and I hope you like it. **


	7. Haninozuka Dessert

**I just wanted to say before you read this chapter that I won't be putting Satoshi (Takashi's brother) in this story. I haven't really decided about Chika yet though because he could end up putting some humor in the story. Plus, he's so cute with his talk of aliens! Well, that's all for now. Enjoy! **

Haruhi rested her head in her hands as she stared out her window, waiting ever so faithfully for a shiny limo to pull up in front of the Hitachiin mansion. It was still pretty early; nine o' clock in the morning to be exact. Usually, Haruhi would've had breakfast with the twins. But everything was thrown off schedule when the maids came bursting into Haruhi's room, packing her clothes and getting everything ready for the trip to Honey's house. Haruhi should've been used to the procedure...but somehow she found she couldn't grow accustomed to it.

Not only that, but Haruhi and Hikaru didn't seem to be on speaking terms. And when you aren't talking to Hikaru, she found it pretty hard to get a minute alone with Kaoru.

Haruhi sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

When she had ventured to the twins' bedroom she had found the door shut and locked. She had even worked up the courage to knock but no one answered.

"I know you're in there," she said. Silence. Then she said, "Look, I know you aren't speaking to me but this is ridiculous."

She could hear a sort of shuffling as if someone was moving sheets around. That's when she heard the gentle voice of Kaoru. "Hikaru's sick. So maybe you should come back later, okay?"

Now Haruhi was staring out a window with nothing to do. It was a sickening thought to know that, for once, she had no one to play with or be with.

'I'm turning into a Hitachiin...' she thought with disdain, then groaned and rubbed her temples. She wished with all her might that Honey would come soon...or, more importantly, she would remember where she was really supposed to be. It was quickly turning out to be a hassle; her lost identity.

* * *

"Hikaru, are you _really _going to just let her go without saying goodbye...or..._anything_?" Kaoru asked.

"What's the point of making her stay when she doesn't want to be here?" Hikaru countered. He finally removed the pillow that he had been smothering his face with and glared at his brother.

Kaoru, who was staring out the window, simply shrugged without turning around.

Hikaru rolled his eyes, "If you really care that much then why don't _you _go do something?"

"Because she's angry at you, not me." Kaoru mumbled.

That's when Hikaru noticed for the first time. "Kaoru?"

"What?"

"Kaoru...look at me..."

Kaoru's heart thudded in his chest. 'Don't give in...' he thought.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru yelled. He picked up his pillow and chucked it at Kaoru. It his him in the head and fell to the floor uselessly. "Kaoru!"

"What?" Kaoru deadpanned.

Hikaru got out of his bed and ran over to Kaoru. He forcefully grabbed his collar and made his brother look at him. "What's going on Kaoru? Why are you-"

"Because you hurt her..." Kaoru said. He glanced down, afraid that Hikaru would see his unshed tears.

Hikaru's eyes widened in disbelief. "What...what do you mean I hurt her?"

He shook Kaoru by his collar a bit. His temper started to flare. "What do you mean I hurt her? She hurt me! She hurt you too, right? You can't tell me that-"

"She's leaving because she doesn't want to hurt either of us!" Kaoru yelled. He swatted Hikaru's hand from his shirt and looked up at his brother, not caring if his tears was flowing down his cheeks freely. Hikaru needed to hear this, and he was the only one who could get through to him, he knew. Even though it hurt...he had to make Hikaru understand.

"Haruhi heard our conversation yesterday by accident," he continued. "But she can't choose between us...so she decided to blow some steam off by leaving."

"What-" Hikaru started.

"Don't you get it Hikaru?" Kaoru cut him off. "You hurt her when she was in a sense, really just trying to help you. Even if she did do it sort of weird..." Kaoru scratched his cheek and gave a little laugh.

Hikaru clenched his fists together and bent his head down so that his bangs covered his eyes. "How was I supposed to know that," he mumbled before dashing out of the room. "Haruhi!"

Kaoru smiled softly and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Oi, it took him long enough..."

"But...how can I just let them be together?" he wondered aloud. He was surprised when Hikaru came running back into the doorway.

"Haruhi's gone," he yelled. He ran to Kaoru's side and showed him a sheet of paper that was in his hand.

_Dear Hikaru and Kaoru,_

_I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye to you properly. Actually, it's probably better this way so that we won't fight anymore. _

_Thank you for taking care of me all this time. Perhaps we'll see each other soon. _

_-Haruhi_

That was Haruhi for you. Always got to the point, always making things more simpler than they really were. Kaoru gaped at the note momentarily. It all seemed unreal.

* * *

Haruhi stared out the window as Honey kicked his dangling feet and hummed a merry tune. It was a surprise for herself when she had found a pen and paper, and found words flowing onto the sheet. So she remembered how to write! She felt she had made an accomplishment. Maybe, just maybe, her amnesia was subsiding? Pondering that eased her cranky mood a bit.

"We're almost there Haru-chan." Honey informed her. "Let's have lunch, okay?"

"Okay," Haruhi agreed with a nod. When they finally got there Haruhi was surprised to see that lunch was already laid out in the dining room Honey led her to. A long table was sitting in the middle of the grand marble floor with a pure white cloth draped over it. Haruhi swallowed nervously; what if she accidentally spilt something on it? Food was spread out like a buffet with foods that Haruhi couldn't remember ever seeing before.

"Itadakimasu!" Honey chirped as he held us chopsticks in his hands and immediately after that began to devour his food.

At first Haruhi was stunned about how quickly the small boy could swallow his meals. She shrugged it off, whispered a gently thanks of her own and started to eat the first thing that was sitting in front of her. It...was...delicious...

"Um..."

Honey finally looked up from his bowl and gave Haruhi big, questioning eyes. "What's wrong Haru-chan? Hurry and eat so we can have dessert!"

"Okay but..." Haruhi's cheeks burned with an upcoming blush.

"What's wrong," Honey asked, tilting his head to the side, "oh no! Are you getting sick?"

"No, it's not that...it's just...what is this?" Haruhi asked, holding up the tuna for Honey to see.

Honey's eyes widened a bit, then he giggled and replied simply, "That's ootoro!"

"Ootoro..." Haruhi mumbled. There was no way she was going to forget the name of that food.

When Honey had eaten down as much food as he could and Haruhi had ate as much ootoro as she could Honey was finally able to get his desserts. "Come on," he said, grabbing Haruhi's hand in his own and leading her to a completely different room with an identical table to the other. The only difference was that there was many, many different desserts to choose from. Honey licked his lips and rubbed his hands together. Haruhi cringed as a somewhat devious look spread of his face and it seemed to her, that he literally _attacked _the sweets.

She could've sworn he had grown little fangs...

* * *

Ranka swore as he made his way through the crowd- or rather, pushed his way through. A house was on fire. The thick, black clouds choked him so badly that he was forced to pull his purple scarf up to his nose and tied it tightly around his neck. This was it...this was how he was going to get his daughter back.

He felt bad that he was going to use a burning house, where the residents had had to be literally pulled out and it was said that there was probably going to be only ashes left by the time the fire had subsided, to his advantage. But when he had heard about the burning house on the news and how horrible the fire was, his feet had carried him out of his apartment and over to the smothering establishment.

Now here he was mere feet away from the burning building. He sucked in as much breath as he could with the scarf still draped over his mouth and nose and ran as fast as he could towards the fire.

"Stop!"

Arms were wrapped around his bodies as policemen and fire fighters held him back.

"No one's allowed near this building!"

'Make as much of a seen as possible...' Ranka thought. _This _was his specialty.

"No! No! I must get my daughter!" Ranka yelled. The okama crazily swung his arms around. He pushed the police and kneed the fire fighter. "I must saver her!"

"There's no one in the building," someone else yelled, running towards Ranka, followed by several other men who helped to hold him down.

"No! Help, HELP!" Ranka yelled. Sweat poured down his face as he shamelessly fought the men off.

Just as he had wanted, the camera men for the local news channel turned their attention his way. A woman dressed in a flaming red skirt suit came rushing over to the small crowd that had formed around Ranka.

"Apparently, a frenzied man- err- woman? A person is now screaming about his missing daughter! And you're seeing it first on Channel Otaku News!"

"Help! Onegai," Ranka pleaded. He snatched the microphone from the woman's hands. The beaten up police men and fire fighters stared at him incredulously. "Please, if you have seen my daughter Fujioka Haruhi, contact me! My name is Fujioka Ryoji and my daughter has gone missing!"

The newswoman snatched the microphone back and said into it. "Mr. Fujioka, where can people reach you?"

* * *

Haruhi stared at Honey warily before easing her way into the bed that was right next to his. She had asked him earlier why he had two beds in his room, and he replied it was for Takashi when he slept the night over.

After gobbling down his ration of sweets, Honey had declared it nap time. Now he was cuddled in his bed with a pink bunny clutched tightly next to his chest. Haruhi wondered how someone who looked so innocent could possibly kill off as much food as he did in one sitting. With nothing else to do, Haruhi decided that she would rest as well.

_It was raining. It wasn't a gently, spring time shower or drizzle either. It was a full course, ear-shattering, heart wrenching thunderstorm. A girl shrieked and covered her ears. 'Go away...please...go away' she prayed to the storm. As if to spite her, a loud clap of thunder sounded out. _

_With brown eyes filled with tears, the girl grabbed the nearest thing- the white, frilly table cloth- and swept it over her shoulders. Another thunder-boom and she was underneath the small wooden table. She shivered uncontrollably and tried her best to hold in her sobs. _

_The front door slammed open and from where she was laying with her feet huddled beneath her, she could make out the silhouette of a man with lightening brightening his background. He looked around frantically, spotted her, and without a word ran to her. He flipped the table over in his haste to get to her, then scooped her up in his arms and pressed her body against his. _

_In return, she clutched the back of his shirt in her small hands and sobbed into his shirt. _

"_Shhh...it's okay now. Daddy's got you, I'm here," he whispered in her ear as he rubbed her gently on her back. Tears filled his amber eyes, "I'm sorry I wasn't here. I'm sorry-"_

"_No!" The girl screamed. She looked up at him with still tear filled eyes and choked out, "D-don't be sorry! You had to work...you couldn't be here...I- I was fine Daddy! Y-you were doing your best!" _

"_Haruhi..." the father said. A single tear rolled down his cheek. He hugged his only child close to him again. "...Haruhi..." _

Haruhi woke with a start. Sweat was dripping down her forehead and back, making her clothes stick to her uncomfortably. She looked around frantically then sighed and put a hand to her racing heart. 'I'm in Honey's room...' she remembered. 'But...that man-'

"Haru-chan!" Honey sang as he glomped her. He had just come back into the room. "I thought you'd never wake up! You must've been really tired, right?"

"Y-yeah..." Haruhi nodded dumbly.

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come with me and Takashi tomorrow but you were sleeping really hard, so I didn't wake you up," Honey continued. "So, do you wanna go?"

"Go?" Haruhi repeated. She almost wanted to say no. A throbbing pain was starting to form in her head. Plus, she had gotten pretty used to going places with the twins. Then again, she thought, going somewhere would serve to get everything that had been swerving around in her head out for awhile. She agreed to go and Honey gave a big cry og happiness.

"So where are we going?" Haruhi asked.

"That's a secret," the blond teased. "It's a surprise!"

**A/N: Well, this is a bit shorter than my previous chapters but it's still pretty good, right? For those who are MorixHaru lovers you should be excited for the next couple of chapters! Yet, HikaxHaru lovers shouldn't fret, because there's more to come in the future! **

**Thanks for all my reviews, alerts and favorites! I really appreciate it and hopefully we'll finish this story by the end of the summer. **


	8. Aqaurium

Takashi sat on the couch waiting for Honey and Haruhi to come down. He knew that if he wanted to, all he had to do was go up the stairs and head to Honey's room. But he decided to give Honey some privacy while he dressed. Not only that, but he didn't want to risk running into Haruhi without any clothes on or something disastrous as that. Since she was staying with Honey for a couple of days, he wanted to silently let her know that when she came to his house, she would have the utmost privacy and respect. That was how Takashi was. He vowed to himself he would never hurt Honey or a female.

"Ready to go Haru-chan?" Takashi could hear Honey's voice coming from the staircase. He stood up and watched as the blond and brunette made their way down the stairs. Honey was dressed in a black t-shirt, orange button-up, and tan shorts. Haruhi was wearing a white baby-doll shirt and regular blue jeans. In his mind, Takashi complemented the girl for not dressing up too much. Girls at Ouran tended to over dress for almost every and any occasion.

"Hi Takashi!" Honey greeted and clutched his arms around Takashi's neck. "Ready to go?"

"Un," Takashi said and nodded. He looked at Haruhi and the girl smiled softly.

"Ohayo Mori-san," she said.

"Hello," he replied.

"Haru-chan doesn't know where we're going. So don't tell her, okay?" Honey said as he led Haruhi and Takashi out the door. Takashi nodded in response and allowed Haruhi to get into the limo before him, followed by Honey who ended up sandwiched in between them.

The ride there consisted of Honey chatting away, Haruhi making comments here and there about the scenery, and Takashi staying silent except for an occasional "un" or "ah." Mostly, he listened to the other two conversations.

When they pulled up to the large establishment the scent of something fishy wafted Takashi's nose as soon as he opened the door. When they entered, the smell only got worse. He turned and watched as Haruhi and Honey's eyes brightened and widened.

"This is..." Haruhi breathed, "Different."

"It's so big! Don't you like the aquarium Haru-chan? Look at all the fish!" Honey said.

"Aquarium...yes...I think I've been somewhere like this before," Haruhi said, trying to remember. All around was walls made of glass filled with water and different type of aquatic wildlife.

Takashi checked the planner. "Mitsukuni, the dolphin show is at one o' clock," he reminded the other senior.

"Kay! Until then, let's go see other stuff!" Honey said. And so they did. Somehow, Honey ended up riding the back of a giant tortoise. Haruhi was so entranced by the rainbow fish, otters, and penguins that she didn't see when Honey and Takashi had moved on. The two males ended up having to go back and find her, and when they did, she was reading a pamphlet on sharks.

They ate hot dogs and slurped down smoothies. Later on, the bought souvenirs. Honey bought Haruhi a snow globe, and Takashi bought a stuffed dolphin for Haruhi and Honey each. Wait- dolphin...

Takashi checked his watch and nearly paled when he saw the time. They were an hour late for the dolphin show! Takashi watched as Haruhi and Honey laughed. How disappointed were they going to be in him? And Honey really liked dolphins...

He swallowed nervously and worked up his courage. 'How could I have forgotten? he wondered. "Mitsukuni..."

"Yup?" Honey asked.

"We're late...for the dolphin show."

"Oh?" Honey's eyes widened. Takashi stiffened. Here it comes- "Okay!"

Takashi stiffened even more. He gave his cousin a questioning look.

"We were having so much! I guess we all forgot," Honey said with a little laugh. "We can see one later, right?"

"Ah," Takashi agreed.

"I have to go to the boy's room now. Watch after Haru-chan, okay?" That said, Honey bounded off to the bathroom that was a couple of feet away. Takashi and Haruhi sat at a small round table on the opposite directions from each other. Haruhi shook her globe up and down and watched as the fake snow went all around the little snowman. Takashi took that moment to examine her. Big brown doe eyes with matching hair, petite figure, long slender fingers...she wasn't ugly, nor was she beautiful, Takashi decided. She was cute, but not over-done.

"Are you having fun?"

If he wasn't the composed at all times type, Takashi would've jumped. He hoped Haruhi hadn't caught him staring. "Un," he replied.

"I see." She said. She seemed to be studying him as well. She continued with, "Why didn't you buy yourself a souvenir?"

"I have one at home," he replied simply. He remembered the many times that he and Honey had been to the aquarium- yet each time the blond acted as if it were his first time visiting the place.

Haruhi nodded and stared at her toy. Obviously, Takashi wasn't the talking type. She didn't want to bother him, but she that didn't stop her from being curious about him.

"Do you and Honey-san always go places together?" Haruhi asked. 'Like the twins...' she thought. A pang in her heart almost stopped her from hearing his answer.

"Yes. We're cousins," he said as if that explained everything. Haruhi nodded in understanding.

'They much be special to each other, just as Hikaru and Kaoru are with each other.' she thought. She couldn't help but wish she had someone like that too. 'But I might...somewhere out there...'

Takashi watched Haruhi carefully. She seemed to be going into some type of self-inflicted trance. "Something wrong?" he asked gently as her face saddened.

"Huh? Oh...no. I'm fine," she said. But Takashi could tell she was lying. He didn't know if it was his place to further interrogate her though, she he decided to stay silent.

"Mitsukuni isn't back yet," he thought out loud. Just as he said that though, Honey came bounding back up to them.

"I'm back!" he cheered.

* * *

Honey fell soundly asleep in the limo. He rested his head on Takashi's arm as he slept and Takashi tried ignore the itch on that same arm, for fear that he would wake his friend if he moved. Haruhi stared blankly out of the window, sending Takashi the signal that something was distracting her again. He found her much more appealing when she was smiling and having fun.

"Haruhi," he said. At the sound of her name, Haruhi turned to Takashi and raised her eyebrows. Takashi's heart thudded in his chest. 'It's not my place to...' he thought but let his thought trail off, as Haruhi was still looking at him with her big eyes. He managed an, "are you feeling well?"

"Yes...it's just..." Haruhi trailed off, not sure how to say what was bothering her.

Takashi didn't want to push her too hardly, so he waited patiently for her answer.

"I just...feel like something's missing," she finally said, "I mean, I _know _there's a lot missing. But I don't know what."

"Ah," Takashi said and looked down when Honey fidgeted. Haruhi took to looking out of the window again. "You'll find out."

Haruhi looked back and this time, Takashi was the one looking out the window. She smiled, despite the fact that he couldn't see her.

* * *

Back at the Haninozuka mansion they ate dessert. Haruhi ate strawberries and whipped cream, while Honey gobbled down slices of lemon cake, and Takashi stuck with a small bowl of vanilla ice cream.

"That was great!" Honey said when he had finished. He stretched his arms out and laid on his back, grinning enormously. "I had lots of fun...did you?"

"Of course," Haruhi answered with a smile of her own. Takashi agreed.

"It's like Haru-chan is my little sister," Honey commented.

"That would be nice," Haruhi agreed. Takashi's stomach churned...if Haruhi was Honey's little sister, that would make him Haruhi's cousin as well. He blinked; why didn't this idea sound nice to him?

* * *

"I miss Haruhi," Hikaru mumbled as he sent a paper plane across the room. "Everything is so boring!"

Kaoru was tempted to say something like 'it's your own fault she's gone' but refrained from that. It would do him no good to start an argument with Hikaru now, he decided.

"I miss her too," he said. He sat up and looked at his brother, "Don't you have some type of plan to get her back by now? I thought you were a Hitachiin."

"You're no different," Hikaru scolded. "You could come up with an idea once and awhile too."

"You're right," Kaoru replied with a sigh. He laid his head against the bed-board again. There was another silence between them, which seemed to be happening often since Haruhi had left. Kaoru was still debating with himself whether he should let Hikaru have Haruhi or not, or go snatch her for himself. He closed his eyes in irritation. 'Stop it Kaoru. You're being just like Hikaru...treating Haruhi like a trophy that can be passed around.'

Kaoru opened his eyes. 'In that way...I really am no different than Hikaru. We're both selfish.'

"Hikaru?"

"Yeah?"

"If you really love Haruhi...you'll get her back."

Hikaru looked at Kaoru, who was smiling softly at his brother. He displayed a thumbs-up and grin at Hikaru, "Do your best, alright?"

Hikaru nodded dumbly. He paused before going on to say, "You too."

Kaoru froze. 'You too?' he thought...did that mean- he was free to pursue Haruhi too? He reached his hand over and grabbed Hikaru's, giving it a gentle squeeze until Hikaru squeezed back.

* * *

Takashi was somewhat glad when the conversation had died down. Haruhi seemed to be nodding in and out of sleep; forcing herself to stay awake. While Honey was constantly flicking the channels of the television. He knew the boy hardly ever watched TV, neither did Takashi. When Haruhi had finally allowed her body to relax, Takashi pulled the sheets up to her chin.

"Hey Takashi," Honey whispered when he came back down to the other end of the bed, "Isn't Haru-chan pretty?"

"Un," Takashi said.

"And nice too, right?"

"Yes." Takashi agreed, giving Honey a skeptical look.

"She's different than girls at Ouran too. She doesn't squeal."

Yes, Haruhi really was different. Still, Takashi wasn't sure where his cousin was going with all this. His gaze shifted back to Haruhi to make sure she wasn't awake.

"But I think she's really bothered by her past. And the twins," Honey reasoned. Takashi raised an eyebrow. What had happened with the Hitachiins that he didn't know about? "Tama-chan called that day...and said Haru-chan sounded really distressed. I don't think Kao-chan or Hika-chan hurt her though."

"Ah," Takashi said with a nod. The twins might've just gotten on her nerves. Then again...there were other possibilities of what had went down. Takashi just hoped that it was nothing serious.

"And Kyou-chan says he's working on finding her identity," Honey finished.

"That's good." Takashi replied.

"Yeah, but Tama-chan will probably be really sad when she has to go...I will too! Will you?"

Takashi wasn't sure. He had just met Haruhi after all. But she was nice as company. "She's nice," he answered.

Honey pouted. That wasn't what he had been expecting to hear...

**A/N: Well, I haven't gotten many reviews since chapter 5, not that I'm begging or anything for reviews (and I appreciate the ones I got). But getting more than one review per chapter lets me know that people still like this fic and that I'm not wasting time writing it. **

**P. S, I'm leaning towards either MorixHaru, HikaxHaru or KaoxHaru! **


	9. The Dress

"Hello?" Takashi answered his cellular phone. He was doing his morning exercises, and Honey knew this, so he wondered why his cousin was calling at that time. Takashi was always prepared for bad news, but that didn't mean that he was fond of hearing it. So he stiffened slightly when he had seen Honey's name on the caller I.D.

"Good morning Takashi!" Honey's cheerful voice said. Takashi was instantly relaxed again.

"Good morning," he greeted back.

"Ne, Takashi...could you do me a favor?"

"Un," Takashi replied.

"Can you take care of Haru-chan for me today? I have stuff to do with my family."

"Ah." Takashi said. Honey thanked him and hung up the phone. Takashi stood there with the phone to his ear, then slowly lowered it and put it into his pocket again. He sighed and went back into his house to take a shower and prepare for the day ahead of him. Somehow, he thought it was going to be a really long day.

* * *

"Have fun!" Honey said as he waved his hand from side to side from the inside of his limo. Haruhi and Takashi smiled and waved back. When the vehicle was out of sight, Takashi ushered Haruhi inside his house and led her to a guest room.

"Do you need anything?" he asked her. She looked around a bit before shaking her head slowly.

"No, thanks Mori-san. I think I'll be fine now," she replied. Takashi nodded and closed he door behind him as when he left the room. He frowned slightly; something seemed out of place. He was used to being around Honey for so long that it seemed like a shame not to be able to stand by someone for awhile. But Honey had said that he would be gone until night and that Takashi couldn't come because Haruhi couldn't come. And Honey wanted Takashi to take care of Haruhi.

Takashi sighed gently and went about his business. The girl wasn't a burden, but it did turn out to be a burden when he had nothing to do for the day. She didn't seem to want him to keep her company so he wouldn't disturb her but...it would be nice, he decided, if he could get to know her a little better.

* * *

There was a knock at the door and Haruhi sat up. "Come in," she said. The door slowly opened and Haruhi could see Takashi pushing the door open with his hip and coming in backwards.

"Mori-san? What're you doing," Haruhi asked. She stood and went to help him, and found that he was carrying a tray with tea and some square treats on it. He sat the tray down and sat next to Haruhi on her bed.

"Thanks, you didn't have to do this," Haruhi said as she poured tea for the older teen. He smiled in return and together they sipped the hot tea and ate the small snacks. They chatted lightly, mostly about Takashi and Honey, since Haruhi noticed that the subject was easiest to talk about with the stoic boy. The subject switched to the host club and Tamaki and once again Haruhi had the urge to actually go view the interesting events for herself.

Takashi noticed that Haruhi had a crumb on a corner of Haruhi's mouth. At first Honey passed through his mind, but as the girl laughed and he noticed how her bangs slightly tilted to the side when she moved her head, he couldn't help but really notice her for the first time.

"Haruhi," he said as he wiped her lip gently with a napkin. "You have a crumb."

"Thanks," Haruhi said. He nodded and looked away from her, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. But she didn't seem to mind at all, in fact, she let a light giggle escape her lips. Before he knew it her napkin was touching his cheek and wiping away.

"You had some crumbs too," Haruhi said with a smile.

He smiled back and thanked her. Haruhi looked down at her little white tray, which had a half eaten treat on it. She swiped the cream from it with a finger, and dabbed it onto Takashi's cheek.

"You have something right there too," she said.

"You too," Takashi replied. Haruhi raised an eyebrow and he pointed at her arm, which did indeed have a trail of cream on it.

"When did you-?" Haruhi blinked in confusion, and looked into Takashi's eyes, which showed his amusement on the situation. "Well then, I suppose we can play it that way."

* * *

"Ah, Morinozuka-san is currently in his room I believe," Takashi's maid said to the four people who were standing in the dining room. "Right this way please."

'Wow...they're all so handsome!' Riku couldn't help but think as they trudged up the stairs. She knocked on Takashi's door, and to her surprise there was no answer.

"Hmmm...that's odd," she said.

"I think I know where Takashi is," Honey said and Riku looked down at the familiar face and nodded.

"I'll leave you to it then," she said with a bow and walked off rather quickly. 'So...cute!'

"This way," Honey said and led the others to the guest room closest to Takashi's own bedroom. He and the others leaned against the door and at first, heard a whimper. Chills shot down the twins' spine.

"N-no...Mori-san! I...I can't breath!" They could hear Haruhi gasp for air.

"What the hell?" Hikaru muttered.

"Mori-san!" Haruhi said in a breathy voice that sent Hikaru and Kaoru off the edge. They slammed opened the door and gazed wide eyed at the sight of Haruhi and Takashi. Takashi was gripping Haruhi's sides and leaning into her neck.

"M-MORI-SEMPAI!" Hikaru and Kaoru yelled. Takashi fell over and Haruhi gasped for air again. Now they could see the tears in her eyes.

"Haruhi!" They both ran to her and hugged her.

"Well, this is unexpected," Kyouya stated.

"Takashi, you got cream everywhere," Honey said. The loli-shota took some cream off of Takashi's arm and tasted the cream himself. "It's good though!"

Hikaru and Kaoru stared at their blond senior momentarily, before each swiping Haruhi's skin with a finger and tasting the sweet cream.

"Oh..." they said, "it really is _just_ cream."

Kyouya adjusted his glasses before clearing his throat. "Now that we've gotten all the ridiculous assumptions out of our minds, I suppose we can get on with it."

"Right..." Hikaru and Kaoru nodded. They stood up and helped Haruhi to her feet as well. They blushed slightly; Haruhi looked adorable with her hair messed up and her cheeks flushed.

"Wait- why were you gasping?" Hikaru asked.

"Because _someone_," she said, turning her attention to Takashi, "decided it would be easier to defeat me if I was being tickled."

Takashi sent a small smile in her direction. Hikaru and Kaoru looked from Haruhi to Takashi in confusion, then shrugged and got on with the matter at hand.

"Anyways...Hikaru has something to tell you Haruhi," Kaoru said.

"Oh?" Haruhi looked to Kaoru's brother and tilted her head to the side. "What is it?"

"Er...that is..." Hikaru fidgeted and looked away from her. 'I never had to apologize before...' he thought before taking a deep breath. He looked back at Haruhi and noticed that she was waiting for him to continue. It was practically killing him to have to do something so...so...un-Hitachiin like!

"I just wanted to...you know, apologize for before," he finally said.

"Oh, that? You didn't have to apologize Hikaru," Haruhi said, to Hikaru's surprise. "I'm not the type to hold grudges against something so trivial. Even though you did overreact a bit..."

Hikaru and Kaoru sighed in relief while Honey grinned widely and Takashi and Kyouya seemed bored with the events.

"Then Haruhi, will you come back with us?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked in their normal unison.

"No."

"Great!" Hikaru cheered and grabbed Haruhi's hand and began to drag her away from her spot where she was sitting. Haruhi snatched back and glared at Hikaru.

"I said no Hikaru."

"Eh? No?" Hikaru asked, bewildered by all means. "What'd you mean no?"

"No means no." Haruhi stated. The room seemed to have tensed up drastically by then and she wished that the twins and everyone else hadn't have shown up so suddenly. Sure, she was glad to see Hikaru and Kaoru again, but she didn't wish to meet up with them again in this matter.

"But why Haruhi?" Hikaru asked. Everyone in the room could hear the tension in his voice. He was getting upset quickly. "You said you forgive me, so why won't you come back home?"

"Because I'm enjoying myself with Honey and Mori-san now. I'm sorry...but I can't come back right now," Haruhi said, despite the growing anger in Hikaru's eyes. 'But...I can't just let him push me around.'

"Fine," Hikaru muttered. He turned his back on everyone, then proceeded to walk slowly out of the door, all the time wishing Haruhi would come chasing after him.

"Um, please excuse us," Kaoru said and wandered out of the room in search of his brother.

Haruhi sighed and looked down at her fingers. Cream was incrusted underneath her nails. She then looked back up at the other three people in the room and asked, "Do you think I was too blunt or something? I didn't mean to hurt his feelings but..."

"I think Hika-chan and Kao-chan were just really expecting you to come back with them," Honey said.

"If that's the case then they can get over it quickly," Kyouya said, "Meanwhile, I have business with you Haruhi."

"Eh?" Haruhi blinked.

In a matter of moments Haruhi was in the car with Kyouya and Honey and Takashi was left alone.

"Heh..." Honey laughed a bit under Takashi's stare. It wasn't harsh, but Honey could practically sense his anger coming on. Takashi would never say anything, but Honey could tell his feelings were still hurt. "Gomen ne Takashi..."

Takashi still didn't say a thing. He only stared at his cousin in silence while waiting for the blond to continue.

"I didn't really have any business," Honey finally said. "I only wanted you to spend some time with Haru-chan..."

"Why?"

Honey blinked and looked up at Takashi.

"Why do you want me to spend time with Haruhi so badly?"

"Ah...because," Honey swallowed, "I think...maybe one day...you can love Haru-chan. So that, you can have two best friends. Haru-chan and I!"

"I see." Takashi said, nodding.

* * *

"Um...Kyouya-san?"

Haruhi was presently seated in Kyouya's ride. He, on the left side typing on his laptop, and she was stuck on the right with nothing to do but stare out of the window.

"Yes?" The raven haired teen asked, never taking his eyes off of his laptop.

"Why did you kidnap me?"

Kyouya looked at Haruhi and let a soft chuckle escape his lips. She sure did have an interesting way of describing situations.

"I'm actually planning on just keeping you hostage for a couple of hours, so you shouldn't worry about it too much," he said, playing along for the time being.

"I see..." she replied and trailed off. When they got out of the car Kyouya led her into a room where three people were waiting. Haruhi examined the room. It reminded Haruhi of the mall, more than anything. Clothes were all around and cosmetics were set up on different tables and areas.

"Welcome Ootori-san, Haruhi-san," said the three females who bowed deeply upon their entrance.

"Thank you," Kyouya said and looked at the girls sternly, "I trust you'll do your best with Haruhi. I leave her in your hands now..." That said, he went to the door.

"Eh? K-Kyouya-san?" Haruhi called as he closed the door behind him. Haruhi froze; she could feel the stares on her back. "Um...what are you doing?"

"Heh heh...you're in our care now...Ha-ru-hi-san," they chanted.

"EEEEEEEEHHHHHHH?!"

* * *

Kyouya typed away on his laptop as he waited in the 'waiting room' of sorts for Haruhi to finish dressing. The people he had hired were the best, so he knew they would make Haruhi presentable for the occasion. Their directions were to make her elegant, yet she had to look as if she were comfortable in her attire, meaning that they couldn't dress her up too fancy.

Of course, he had already had his suit custom made and it was currently at his mansion, sitting in his closet with all its crispy, dashing godliness. He wondered if his other friends had ordered their outfits yet, and made a note in his notebook to remind them.

Within forty-five minutes Kyouya heard his name being summoned and walked back into the changing room. He stopped where he stood and looked Haruhi up and down. After all the fuss he had heard her put up, she really did look quite pretty in her light pink dress and matching heels.

"Did we do good?" Chigusa asked, her eyes sparkling hopefully.

"Hmm..." Kyouya stepped closer to Haruhi. They had placed a wig on her. The curls stopped to her mid back. He pushed back the hair and inspected her ears.

"No earrings," he said and shook his head. Chigusa, Kotori and Yuki seemed completely heart broken. Especially when he said, "You'll have to do the whole outfit over."

"What?!" the three girls and Haruhi yelled. Kyouya gave them a questioning look of his own.

"B-but...Kyouya-san!" Kotori cried, "Why can't we just get her some earrings to match the outfit? I'm sure we have some here!"

"Honestly, I don't think that will do," Kyouya answered, "The whole outfit is unappealing to me now."

"What?" Haruhi snapped. Kyouya raised an eyebrow at her while Kotori, Chigusa and Yuki shivered in fear. They had never seen anyone dare to stand up to Kyouya, especially if she wasn't a family member...

"These girls worked hard on this outfit. Not to mention we've been in here for nearly an hour," Haruhi said, "And I'm the one who has to wear it, anyways. So I see no reason that you should have so much input in it. I happen to like this dress more than the others I've seen here today...so if I must wear something like this, I'd prefer to wear this."

The girls nearly fainted. How could she talk to Ootori Kyouya like that?! But the Cool type didn't seem to be fazed by Haruhi's words. In fact, he smirked a bit before speaking to her in his natural cool manner.

"I believe I should have so much input because _I'm _the one who will be paying for the ensemble," he said, "and I'm not paying for anything that doesn't suit my own tastes."

Yuki put a hand to her head and fainted. She dropped onto the floor with a thud.

"Even so, I think that we should work together to pick an outfit." Haruhi replied sternly.

Kotori gasped and dropped on the floor next to Yuki.

"I believe you're getting ahead of yourself Haruhi," Kyouya said, staring at her. Oh, if looks could kill... "I don't need your help to pick out anything. I know what's best, in this case."

Chigusa turned her head from side to side. "Eh...eh...K-Kyouya-san?"

"Why won't you let me help you?"

"I would, but this isn't really for me." Kyouya explained, "You see Haruhi, I'm holding a surprise return party for Tamaki when he gets back. And since it seems that you'll be staying that long, I decided to make you Tamaki's date. Of course, I know what Tamaki likes, and you don't, so it's only fit for me to pick his date's outfit."

"I think Tamaki-san will like whatever I choose," Haruhi argued. Kyouya sighed; insistent girls were always troublesome...but this girl was just plain starting to work his nerves.

The attention turned to Chigusa when she hit the floor and landed on top of her friends. Kyouya sighed; _all _girls were troublesome...

--

"Thanks Kyouya-san," Haruhi said as she stepped out of the vehicle. She stopped when she felt a hand wrap around her wrist. She looked back at Kyouya.

"Wear that dress well Haruhi," he said, "After all that you put up, you should really try your best to impress me."

Haruhi smirked and nodded. "I'll do my best," she whispered before the car pulled off. She walked up to Honey, who was standing at the doorway of his mansion, the dress and wig she had picked out herself in hand.

**A/N: My, my, my. What were the twins thinking Haruhi and Takashi were doing? Well, if you don't get my sick adult humor then you don't need to know about it. Obviously, you're too young and naive. But that's a good thing, since this chapter still works even if you don't get what I was implying. **

**Anyways...Ha! Haruhi actually won an argument with Kyouya! What a surprise... **

**Thanks for all the reviews last time guys! I'm really pumped up on this story again and determined to take it to the end. **


	10. Storm

**Hello Readers! Before we begin, I just wanted to say that if you need a one-shot to read in your spare time you should go to my profile and click on the story titled Pink Snow! Of course it's about the Host Club and it's pretty cool, if I do say so myself. **

**Anyways, enjoy Chapter 10! **

* * *

Hikaru was just as silent as they knew Takashi to be on the ride home. Kaoru tried his best to cheer his brother up, though he wasn't able to help much in the state Hikaru was in. The older twin said nothing, only stared out the window, taking in everything yet not really seeing anything at all. To say he was in pain was an understatement. He was confused, hurt, dejected- to sum it all up- the Hitachiin was miserable.

He couldn't understand why Haruhi wouldn't come back with them. Hikaru had apologized after all, and that in itself should've been enough to make Haruhi jump into his arms in his opinion. But it hadn't worked that way. Haruhi had rejected him- and for what?

"Do you think Haruhi likes Honey and Mori-sempai more than she likes us?" Hikaru finally asked.

"I don't know," Kaoru answered truthfully. Almost as an after thought he said, "Maybe she does."

Hikaru could feel anger bubbling in his stomach. As soon as the vehicle came to a stop he got out and slammed the door behind him. He could hear Kaoru's distant "Wait up!" before he went into his home. He expected Kaoru to come running inside their room to comfort him, but to his surprise even a half hour later, Kaoru didn't show up.

Hikaru went into the hall and called upon a maid.

"Get me Kaoru," he instructed.

"Oh, Kaoru-sama left out earlier. I thought you were together…" she said.

"What," Hikaru yelled and pushed past the young girl.

* * *

When Haruhi entered the mansion with her brand new dress in hand, she wasn't expecting to see not only Takashi, but Kaoru too.

"What're you doing here Kaoru? Its sort of late…don't you have school tomorrow?" Haruhi asked as she gently placed her new outfit onto the bed.

Kaoru smiled while examining the dress. He couldn't wait to see her in it.

"I just came back to apologize for earlier. We were out of line," Kaoru said.

Haruhi frowned and shook her head. "You weren't out of line Kaoru…Hikaru was." Then she shrugged and sat next to him. "It doesn't matter to me much, but I don't see why he always gets so angry."

Kaoru sighed and wished he could tell her… 'Maybe things would just be easier if she would just choose between us.' He thought distantly. But he quickly decided against that, thinking it not fair to Haruhi… 'Not yet at least.'

"Well then, I'll be returning to Hikaru," he said instead. His hand landed on hers and she looked into his eyes. A soft blush graced his face and he looked away, then took his hand off of hers and stood up. "See you around…"

"That's right," Haruhi said as she walked him to the door. "We'll see each other soon."

Kaoru looked back at her, and then smiled before leaving the room. Haruhi turned around then smiled back at Honey and Takashi.

When Kaoru had placed his hand on Haruhi's own, Takashi's heart had skipped a beat. An unfamiliar feeling rose in his chest and he had suddenly had the urge to separate Kaoru and Haruhi. He shifted uncomfortably and tried to calm himself.

"Well, what now?" Haruhi asked.

Haruhi was more than surprised when she ended up at Takashi's house. Somehow, Honey had managed to get her clothes moved in the short hours that she had been gone with Kyouya. Amazing what rich people can do…

It was a quarter after eleven by the time Haruhi had washed, changed clothes, and settled in for the night. She lay in her bed, willing the images not to come that night. They were starting to become a nuisance. Her head ached all the more as they came and went.

She slowly rose and went to the window. The moon was full in the sky, sending silver rays of light down to cascade before her eyes.

'Too bad life isn't as peaceful as this…' she thought. There was a gentle knock at the door, and Haruhi turned around to see a woman with long brown hair and a smile that would brighten the cloudiest of days, and then gasped in surprise- and the woman turned into Takashi.

The tall teen sauntered into the room and laid the blankets he was carrying onto the bed.

"Extras," he explained.

"Oh…thanks…" Haruhi said. She turned back to the window and looked out again. The moon was now being covered by the dark clouds. Haruhi frowned. Something didn't feel right, but she couldn't put a finger on what was bothering her.

Takashi was back at the door, watching her watch the sky. He couldn't help but smile and walk over to her. But he stopped himself just as he was about to touch her shoulder. He let his hand drop uselessly beside him, then turned to exit again.

"Mori-san?"

"Hmm?" Takashi said and turned back to her. He met her gaze and for awhile nothing was said. Takashi could feel her eyes on him, studying him. Her lips were slightly apart as if she had been intending on saying something but the thought never surfaced. The stare down was broken when a loud sound ripped through the silence.

Haruhi's soul nearly popped out of her skin when she jumped seemingly ten feet into the air. Before Takashi could respond she had dived into the bed and pulled the sheets over her body.

"Haruhi," Takashi called but the frightened girl didn't answer. He listened to the rain now beating down on his home, accompanied by the angry cries of thunder and the few flashes of lightening. He watched Haruhi shudder underneath the bed spreads and the sound of her whimpering every so often.

Haruhi squeaked in surprise when her body was suddenly hoisted up then down onto Takashi's lap. His arms were folded around her as if she were his child and his chin rested gently on her head. The sheets were still wrapped around her body as well. But the warmth of Takashi was the only thing that she could feel keeping her warm.

The thunder raged war outside. Haruhi jumped up, but Takashi pulled her close to him. Haruhi was surprised that she could hear his soothing whispers over the storm and her crying.

"It's okay Haruhi," he said, "I've got you….I'll protect you."

She cuddled a bit closer to him and laid her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating rapidly. The brunette wondered how, despite his racing heart, he was able to keep his cool.

But it wasn't the storm that was making his heart beat so quickly. It was being so close to her…having her in his arms and having her body rest against his. Despite her shivering she was warm and soft. Her hair smelt of raspberries. He couldn't help but hold her closer.

As the storm died down Haruhi was finally able to make clear thoughts. But she suddenly felt exhausted and weak. Her body went limp in his.

"Thank you…" she muttered while closing her eyes and surrendering to her exhaustion.

Takashi sat still and held her long after she had drifted off to sleep. He played with her hair, rubbed his finger along her cheek and her arm. When he finally set her down in her bed and covered her up he looked at her again. At that moment Morinozuka Takashi decided that he would always protect Haruhi, no matter what.

* * *

Haruhi got up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before completely rolling out of bed. The night before seemed like a distant dream- she thought it was too until she surveyed her surroundings and discovered that she was indeed in Takashi's guest room. Wondering where Takashi was at the moment, she walked to his room. That was only to discover that he wasn't there.

A maid walked past so Haruhi asked her where the stoic teen had gone to, and was disappointed to know that he had went to school just an hour before. Now somewhat lonely, Haruhi ventured off to pick out some clothes for herself. She chose a simple t-shirt and tan shorts. She decided not to do anything fancy with her hair and didn't bother with her girly clips or pony-tail holders.

Her buddy phone rung just as she was cracking open a book she had found. "Hello?"

"Hey Haruhi," came Kaoru's voice from the other end. She could tell he was grinning from the sound of his voice.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Haruhi asked.

"I'm in school but I'm taking a break," Kaoru replied. "Anyways, tomorrow will you go out with me?"

Haruhi raised her eyebrows. "Sure I guess...but is it just you? Is Hikaru coming too?"

Kaoru didn't answer right away, leaving Haruhi to wonder if he was still on the phone.

"No." He finally said. "Hikaru isn't coming…"

"Oh. He's still angry at me?"

"Well, that's for you to find out isn't it?" Kaoru teased. "So, see you tomorrow Haruhi."

Haruhi didn't even get to say good bye before the dial tone was in her ear. She was tempted to call Hikaru to make sure that everything was alright, but her phone rung again before she could completely make up her mind.

"Hello?"

"Haruhi! Thank goodness, how are you?" Tamaki asked in one breath.

"I'm fine, you?" Haruhi asked back.

She could hear Tamaki sigh rather loudly and dramatically before he went on to say, "I miss everyone a lot."

"Everyone misses you too," Haruhi assured him.

They talked for about an hour before Tamaki finally had to leave. Haruhi hung up the phone and picked up the forgotten book that had been resting in her lap.

'Tamaki's….interesting…' she thought.

Hours later Haruhi looked out the window and saw the chauffeur getting ready to leave. An idea sprouted in her mind and her feet suddenly raced her down flights of stairs and out to the limo.

"Excuse me," she called. The chauffeur looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Can you please drive me to Mor- er- Takashi-san? That's where you're going, isn't it?"

"Of course," the man said and opened the back door. Haruhi thanked him and slipped inside. On the ride there she continued her book. She found great pleasure in reading it, for it felt as if she hadn't read anything in ages. The girl had long ago stopped trying to figure out the last time she had read a book, what book it was and in what place she was reading it in because in the end trying to remember only served to give her headaches.

She snapped out of her reading when the man announced that they had arrived. Upon closing the book, she looked out the window and discovered the prestigious Ouran Academy. It was better than she had imaged. She unconsciously slipped out of the ride and stared in awe at the large establishment and all its glory.

Soon a couple of girls made their way out of the building and when they got close enough, Haruhi could see their eyes curiously looking over her. If she hadn't been too busy scanning over their puffy yellow dresses she would've felt like a butterfly pinned to a wall.

"Excuse me," one of the bolder ones said. Her group of friends were standing behind her, giggling and whispering amongst themselves.

"Yes?" Haruhi asked.

"Well… It's just that- we were wondering what your name was," Liana said. Her friends gasped.

"I'm Haruhi," the girl replied.

"Haruhi," all the other girls repeated. Haruhi sweat dropped when they were suddenly all standing close to her.

"He would be so great in the host club," one girl said and the others agreed.

'This boy thing again…' Haruhi thought.

"He's so cute!" They chorused. Haruhi wondered how she was going to get away from the crazy girls when a hand suddenly was on Liana's shoulder. The girl turned around and her eyes nearly boggled out of her head.

"It's the hosts!"

"Hello Liana-san," Kyouya greeted with his usual fake smile and polite manner.

"Eh? Haruhi," the twins stepped from behind Kyouya, along with Honey and Takashi.

"What're you doing here Haru-chan?" Honey asked. The small senior was perched atop Takashi's shoulders.

Haruhi could suddenly feel her face heating up under the now large groups' gazes. Would it be stupid to say she was here to pick up Takashi?

"I…I just wanted to see this place," she lied.

"Oh!"

Haruhi sighed when Kyouya somehow managed to disband the group of girls and also got them to buy Tamaki plush dolls as well. When they were gone he turned his attention back to Haruhi. The spectacled boy pushed his glasses up.

"Came to pick up Mori-sempai?" he asked. Haruhi nodded and Kyouya made an 'hmm' sound. "Then, see you all tomorrow," he said, stuffed his hands in his pockets and left the scene.

"See you after school Haruhi," Kaoru said and turned to leave. Hikaru, Honey and Takashi looked at him as if to say 'what's that supposed to mean?' and Kaoru only grinned mischievously.

"Oi, Kaoru!" Hikaru called. When his twin didn't answer and instead continued on walking he turned and sent a glare Haruhi's way. "What's up with you and Kaoru?"

Haruhi shrugged and answered, "We're just going out tomorrow."

Takashi and Hikaru tensed. The latter of the two balled his hand into a fist.

"Oh, you and Kaoru just made plans without me?"

"Hikaru…"

"Whatever!" Hikaru yelled, "Just go have fun with your little boyfriend."

That said, Hikaru turned and ran away. He pushed past Kaoru and made it to the vehicle before his twin did. Kaoru seemed to be taking his sweet time getting there…

"I don't even want to ride with you," Hikaru said matter-of-factly when Kaoru finally did reach the limo. He walked past his brother, making their shoulders meet in a hard impact and whipped out his cell phone.

"What're you doing Hikaru?" Kaoru asked.

"I'm calling for a separate ride," Hikaru said.

Kaoru nearly died right there on the spot. Never had they gotten separate rides homes!

"But Hikaru, aren't you the one who told me I could pursue Haruhi?!"

"I didn't think you'd do it so soon!" Hikaru yelled back so loudly that Kaoru nearly jumped out his skin. But Hikaru was in a rage, and not even Kaoru's glistening eyes filled to the brim with tears could stop him.

"I didn't even think you would _really _do that with Haruhi! I didn't think-

"You didn't think I could do it without you?" Kaoru said. He looked up, tears trailing down his cheeks, "But I did…and I'm sorry Hikaru-but you're being really fickle, not to mention mean. I'm sorry…"

Hikaru watched as Kaoru slipped into the car.

For the first time in awhile, Hikaru felt completely alone.

**A/N: My updates are probably going to get a lot less frequent, being that it's summer and I'm at my dad's house until the end of August. Not only is his computer slow and the keyboard is all old and hard to type on, but I barely get to type at all with how busy he's keeping me! I usually update at least once a week...but we might be stretching it out to three weeks (at the most!) **

**So until then, I leave you with bickering twins and light MorixHaru scenes**

**TamaxHaru lovers prepare, for after KyoxHaru comes it's our Tono's turn! **


	11. Missing Hitachiin

**A/N: I got to update quicker than I expected! And I thought this story needed a little twist, so enjoy! Even though I should've been working on my friend's birthday fic...she's going to kill me (sweat drop)**

**Oh yeah, and just in case anyone actually cares, I'm a twin! Except I'm a girl and my twin is a boy...he's sort of like Hikaru and I'm like Kaoru. Cool, huh?**

* * *

Hikaru stood in the same place that Kaoru had left him in. He had not called for a ride home and now he wasn't sure if he wanted to go home at all. The same thought ran through his head over and over again. That thought grew and with it, grew his anger and frustration. All he could think was that Kaoru had betrayed him. He had not only betrayed their brotherly affection for each other, but he felt as if Kaoru had purposely stolen Haruhi from him.

The confused boy dragged his feet as he walked down the sidewalk, not really watching where he was going and not caring where he was going. But he couldn't go back home…not yet at least…One thing he did know was that he didn't wish to see Kaoru at the moment. Facing Kaoru- he swallowed hardly at the thought- was like walking into his own funeral. He could envision his brother sitting on the bed with a face that displayed nothing but pain and misfortune. Even if it would give him some sort of sick pleasure at that point, Hikaru still didn't want to see his brother looking like that.

Hikaru clenched his fists and suddenly broke out into a run. He wished with everything that Kaoru could see things his way, just like he usually did. His paced slowed into a jog as he thought 'Kaoru doesn't understand that at this rate, neither of us can have Haruhi.' And there was nothing that he wanted more than for Haruhi to be his. Her laugh, her smile, and her warmth- nothing could compare to her. But Kaoru was in the way, and he was in the way of Kaoru. He knew that with them fighting over her nothing would turn out right, and that was why he was so confused. Torn between Haruhi and Kaoru.

They were both special…but what is all came down to was 'Who do I want more?'

He asked himself that question as he turned the corner with his hands stuck deep inside his pockets. When he looked up to the sky, he found that the sun had set and that he must've been so lost in thought that now he really was almost lost. He sighed and thought again about calling a chauffeur to get himself home…but he shook his head. He still had some thinking to do and he couldn't do it if he was sitting two inches away from Kaoru.

So he walked until he saw a little restaurant across the street. He was used to getting walks home so his feet hurt and the establishment seemed like a nice place to settle down at.

* * *

It had gone on eight at night when Kaoru really started to worry about Hikaru. His twin hadn't come home yet, and it was unlike Hikaru to stay out too late without his brother. Kaoru moved his phone around in his hands. If he called, then he would have to talk with the person he was angry with…but if he didn't call and Hikaru need him…

He sighed and speed-dialed Hikaru's number. The phone rang four times, and then the usual answering machine came on. He left a brief message, saying that he was just calling to see where Hikaru was.

Fifteen minutes later Kaoru called again and ended up leaving another message.

By the third time he didn't leave a message, though his blood ran cold. Even if they were angry with each other he didn't think it was a reason for Hikaru to act ridiculous and stubborn! He shook his head, frowning at his twins' choice of actions. He dialed Haruhi's buddy-phone and smiled at the memory of them handing the phone over to her.

"_Haruhi, guess what?" the twins chorused. Even though Haruhi had been trying to read and relax, they had bothered to disrupt her. This time was different, they actually had what they thought was a good excuse. _

_Haruhi groaned and sat the book in her lap. She looked up at them with her brown eyes and neither of the twins missed the irritated expression on her face. But her eyes held light amusement, and so she said, "What?" in a monotonous voice. _

"_We took the liberty to do something nice for you," Hikaru started._

"_So don't sound so angry," Kaoru went on. When Haruhi only rolled her eyes and threatened to return to reading the twins continued in their usual unison. _

"_Surprise!" they said and Hikaru held out the small pink portable phone. Haruhi only stared at it for a few seconds before smiling softly and taking the phone from his hands. _

_She looked at it with mild interest and asked, "Why did you get me a phone?"_

"_Don't be silly Haruhi," Kaoru said. _

"_Obviously, it's so that we can keep in touch," Hikaru explained. _

"_I can't take this." Haruhi stated and tried to hand the phone back. The twins only rolled their eyes, walked away, and disappeared into the hallway. Haruhi was left to a game of Hide-and-Seek so that she could return the phone, and as they knew she would, she eventually gave up and stuffed the phone into her pocket. _

Those had been good days, though short lived. And now bad days seemed to be upon them.

"Hello?" came Haruhi's voice from the other end.

"Hey Haruhi" Kaoru greeted, "you haven't seen Haruhi since after he went back with me have you? He hasn't come home yet…"

"No, I didn't." Haruhi said, "He was angry at us…so he wouldn't come back to me."

"Oh. I see." Kaoru said with disappointment leaking from his voice. There was a long pause in which Kaoru was wondering what he should do and Haruhi had something else in mind.

"Kaoru?"

"Hmm?"

"Is this all because you guys…you know. Like me?"

Kaoru sighed. It had been the last thing on his mind that the reason Haruhi had left their home in the first place was because she had found out about that. Now he wished that she hadn't have found out at all.

"Yeah, I guess," he said.

"I'm sorry…"

Kaoru almost dropped the phone in his shock. "What're you talking about Haruhi? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, I have Kaoru. Did you and Hikaru ever fight before I came into your lives? I've only made things hard for you, so I'm sorry. And please don't say anything else about it. Now, we just have to find Hikaru. Can you meet me over at Mori-san's place?"

Kaoru smiled softly and gave her an affirmative before hanging up and putting his jacket on. He knew better than to argue with a girl like Haruhi, for when she had her mind made up about something there was no changing it. He walked out of the door and got into his Mercedes with his chauffeur and they were off.

"How did you get here so fast?" Haruhi asked, quite stunned at the sudden appearance of the male in Takashi's doorway. Though the silent young man didn't seem to be phased, Haruhi sure was.

"I came as fast as I could!" Honey said. "It's important to find Hika-chan, ne?"

"Of course," Haruhi answered. Just as she said that another search-party member came through the door.

"We just called you two minutes ago," Haruhi mumbled. Kyouya smirked and nodded at the two seniors in the room.

Soon after Kaoru came through the door, making the search party complete. Kaoru explained that he had called Hikaru several times on the ride there but there had still been no answer from his brother. Haruhi and the rest had also called Hikaru's phone, only to get the same bad luck.

"I could have a professional party search for him," Kyouya said, "It'll be easier that way."

Kaoru sighed and shook his head, "I don't think there's a need for all that yet. I think Hikaru's just being stubborn and that he's probably not even lost. Besides, it's not past our curfew yet, and the maids have instructions to call our own private investigators if we're not back by 11:02."

No one bothered to ask why the curfew was set two minutes after the hour…for that is a story for another day.

"Then let's do our own search," Honey suggested and Takashi backed him up. There were no disagreements and they decided to search by car and by foot, for they figured that Hikaru wouldn't be in the streets much anyways.

The first place they checked was the school, then at Hikaru and Kaoru's rendezvous spot where they always awaited their limo to pick them up at school. They checked Hikaru's favorite hang-out spots and other places that Kaoru thought he might've gone to. Yet no matter where they searched or how loudly they called his name there was no answer.

There was no Hikaru.

It was a quarter before eleven when the group suddenly found their selves nearly exhausted. Takashi had draped his jacket around Haruhi's shoulders.

"You need rest," he said lowly when everyone else was occupied. Haruhi shook her head and sighed.

"I can't Mori-san," she said, "This…is my entire fault."

"It's not." Takashi said, but to his dismay Haruhi only looked away from him. He was going to say something else when Honey came trotting back to them.

"Kao-chan just got a call from his mother and he had to tell her that Hika-chan went missing," the short senior explained. "She wants all of us to go home and not worry about him…because she said that she'd handle it."

"Ah," Takashi said with a nod. Kyouya was already getting in his limo and waved a short good bye to them. Kaoru walked slowly their way. Haruhi noticed that at the moment he looked years older than he really was.

"Thanks for helping to look," he said. He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head sadly. "I told my driver to wait for me where he is and that I'll just walk to him. Maybe I'll bump into Hikaru, right?"

They all nodded to his question, though none of them really believed that he would find his brother in that way. Kaoru only spared them a small, fake smile before going off.

Their driver had previously been called by Honey, and it seemed that as soon as they entered the vehicle Honey went off into a deep slumber. With the blond asleep, there was an awkward silence between Takashi and Haruhi. The girl wondered where Hikaru could have gone to and Takashi only wanted to know, other than the sudden disappearance of her friend, what was on Haruhi's mind.

"Haruhi."

She looked up at him, her eyes a shade darker than they normally were. His heart skipped a beat- not like it would whenever she smiled- but a stop that hurt him. He couldn't bear seeing her like that and he wanted to know, "Why?"

Haruhi looked down as if her shoes were the most interesting thing in the world. But she could feel his deep gaze upon her and before she knew it everything was pouring out.

"If I weren't here then Hikaru and Kaoru would be fine. Hikaru's gone because of me. I knew all this time that he liked me and so did Kaoru, but I ignored their feelings and now…" she inhaled deeply and wiped a tear that threatened to fall from her eye. "Now we don't even know where Hikaru is."

She didn't notice that his hand was resting gently on her knee until she was finished and she looked up at his stern expression. His face said nothing but his eyes said everything that he wanted to say.

_Everything will be alright. _

Calming down, Haruhi placed her hand on top of his. He looked away, down at Honey who was resting on his shoulder. His breathing was off, he noticed, for when one is sleeping his breathing is even. And Takashi knew that Honey had heard everything that had been said.

He wondered if his cousin was thinking the same thoughts he was; that the Hitachiin twins, mostly Hikaru, was ruining a lot for Haruhi. Also that the girl didn't deserve that type of stress, not when had amnesia and didn't even know who she was.

That's why Takashi knew that he couldn't allow Hitachiin Hikaru back into Haruhi's life.

* * *

Hikaru was always better at Hide-and-go-Seek than his brother had been. So when it came to hiding, Hikaru was the master.

He watched his brother walk slowly down the sidewalk without being seen. Hikaru dodged in and out of crowds as best he could so as not to be caught, but be able to see his brother as well.

He could tell that Kaoru was lost in thought from the glazed look in his eyes. A part of him wished to go and comfort his brother, but the other half felt a sort of joy at seeing his brother that way. That part of him screamed for revenge against Kaoru- revenge so that Kaoru would have to feel the pain he felt when he had learned that Kaoru was stealing Haruhi away from him.

All evil thoughts were struck back when Kaoru walked out blindly into the street.

Before he even knew what was happening Hikaru jolted forwards and heard a voice that he later realized was his own yell, "Look out!"

And as soon as everything had happened, it ended.

Kaoru rolled onto his stomach with a low moan. His vision was blurred and as soon as it was cleared up he looked across the street.

What he saw was Hikaru lying motionlessly on the ground. "Hikaru!"

He rushed forwards and shook his brother. "Hikaru? Hikaru, wake up! Help, somebody help!"

Plenty of by-standers, but everyone seemed too shocked to help. They were all looking at him with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Kaoru looked down again and saw blood covered his hands- _Hikaru's _blood.

There were sirens, and then groups of people were surrounding the Hitachiin twins.

And there was only one thought in Kaoru's mind as he climbed into the ambulance and stood by his brother's side.

'Hikaru's dead…'

**A/N: If I kill Hika-chan I'm going to be really sad...but oh, the temptation! Of course he isn't dead right now, he's just unconscious. But we'll see about that later...I hope you enjoyed once again and I look forward to your lovely feedback on the situation. **


	12. Torn Between the Two

Kaoru was waiting in the waiting room when Kyouya, Honey, Takashi and Haruhi made it to the hospital. The younger Hitachiin was sitting there with his hands balled into fists that rested on his lap, and his eyes lacked their usual luster. He didn't look up, even when his friends called his name, so Haruhi kneeled down in front of him.

He looked into her deep brown eyes and then looked away. Kaoru gasped when Haruhi suddenly pulled him into her embrace and whispered softly in his ear, "I'm sorry."

Those words were said, and they were all Kaoru needed to break down.

He couldn't control his sobs or the tears that were spilling down at a rapid rate. It was all Haruhi could do to just stay there and hug him. She looked up, tears brimming at her eyes, and saw Kyouya leaning against a wall, talking on his phone and Takashi and Honey seemed to have disappeared.

That's when she heard it. At first, it was a distant cry, and she could hear footsteps and several people yelling. And somewhere out there in the many halls of the hospital she could hear someone calling her name. "Haruhi!"

She gasped and momentarily let go of Kaoru so that she could look around. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't exactly put her finger on who the voice belonged to. She turned around to see if Kaoru heard the voice as well, but when she turned around she didn't see Kaoru at all. Instead, she saw a man with red locks, looking incredibly exhausted in all aspects of the word.

Too stunned to say anything, she backed up- only to back up right into someone's body. She let out a surprised shriek and turned around. His blond hair was in his eyes and he was panting heavily as if he had been running for all that he was worth- and he went by the name of Suoh Tamaki.

"T-Tamaki-san," Haruhi breathed, and remembering the person behind her she swiftly swept around, only to find that it was once again Kaoru sitting in the pale green chair. Kaoru was slumped down in the chair, though he had stopped crying.

"Hello Tamaki," Kyouya greeted as he walked up to his best friend.

"Is Hikaru alright?" Tamaki immediately asked.

"They won't tell us anything yet, but I made sure that we'll find out soon." Kyouya explained.

While the two talked, Haruhi felt as if she was a child lost in an extremely big amusement park. She wobbled to the chair beside Kaoru and held her now aching head. While she had been experiencing visions like that before, they were never so vivid…never so _real_.

Hands landed on her shoulders, and she saw Tamaki's bright eyes staring at her. "Haruhi, are you okay?"

She nodded slowly and Tamaki backed away a bit, a concerned look on his face that told Haruhi that he hadn't believed her at all.

"Haruhi, hot chocolate," the familiar voice of Takashi said, and Haruhi took the hot cup that was being handed to her.

Now Honey and Takashi were seated on the left of her, and the blank-faced Kaoru was on her right. Honey sipped his drink slowly as Takashi had instructed, and Haruhi followed suite.

"How'd you get here so fast Tama-chan?" Honey asked the other blond, and Tamaki was seemingly snapped out of his daze.

"I was already on my way back actually," he said, "That's when Kyouya called me and told me what happened- of course I rushed over to see about my fellow club member."

"So you were coming back early?" Honey asked.

Tamaki shook his head and looked down at his own mug that Kyouya had been kind enough to give him. "I'm only here for today. I…just wanted to see everyone…but I didn't know that something like this had happened."

He looked up then and said, "I'm leaving back out tomorrow morning."

There was an awkward silence then, for no one really felt like talking. Awhile later a man dressed in all white came out and greeted them.

"You can see him now but not for too long…he needs his rest," he explained as he ushered the group into Hikaru's private room.

Haruhi tilted her head to the side when a woman with short hair that matched Hikaru and Kaoru's in color slowly stood from where she had been sitting, which was right next to Hikaru's bedside, and come their way along with a man that had been standing already.

The woman hugged Kaoru and nodded at Kyouya and some of the other hosts, then smiled a bit at Haruhi before making her way out of the room with her husband.

And when Haruhi finally regained her composure she realized that Kaoru was already holding Hikaru's hand. She slowly walked over to the bed, afraid of what she might see.

"I'm sorry Hikaru," Kaoru was saying, though Hikaru's eyes were closed and Haruhi wasn't sure if he was awake at the moment. "Y-you saved me Hikaru…but…but I wish you would've just let me get ran over!"

Hikaru's eyes fluttered open, and everyone around him could see a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You know I couldn't do that," he whispered in a raspy voice that didn't match Hikaru's normal voice at all.

Kaoru laid the front of his body on the bed and said nothing more, though his brain held many come-backs.

A hand that gently squeezed her shoulder let her know that it was time to go, and she turned and walked by Takashi's side. When they were out of the room, Tamaki hugged her body close to his until she thought that he had somehow managed to glue their bodies together.

Then he pulled away, and said a sad farewell to Haruhi before Kyouya walked him out of the hospital. Takashi stared at Tamaki's back as he left, an unfamiliar feeling built in his chest. But he looked back at Haruhi and the feelings retreated, for now he had her to himself again.

"Do you want to stay, Haru-chan? We'll stay if you want to." Honey said, and right after that he let out a big yawn.

Haruhi sighed and shook her head slowly, "No…it's probably best if we just go home. We can visit Hikaru again in the morning, right?"

Takashi nodded, and Haruhi told them that she was going to go and say good-bye to the twins. She gently pushed the door open and found Hikaru and Kaoru in the same position they had been in earlier (Hikaru couldn't move much anyways).

She walked to the bed and laid her hand on Kaoru's shoulder. He looked up at her, then back at Hikaru. The older Hitachiin was looking at Haruhi, and his lips were parted as if he was going to say something but Haruhi beat him to it.

"I'm really sorry Hikaru…for all the trouble I've caused."

"Haruhi…didn't cause trouble," Hikaru whispered so lowly that she had to strain to hear. "I did."

"Hikaru…"

"…I'm sorry…"

Haruhi had nothing to say on the ride to Takashi's house. All she wanted was to go to bed, for it was now almost three in the morning and she hadn't gotten a chance to sleep with everything that had happened before. But sleep didn't come easy to her at all, even when she was in her warm bed.

So she walked over to Takashi's room, and found the stoic teenager still wide awake. When he saw her he looked up, and she could momentarily see concern etched on his features before he washed it away with practiced ease.

He patted the spot next to him, and Haruhi sat next to him. He handed her a book that he pulled from the dresser next to him and said, "Good book."

Haruhi nodded and opened the book to the first page. She smiled, and then began to read the book out loud to him. As she lost herself in the mystery book, Takashi smiled softly, thoroughly enjoying the way she moved her finger along the pages as she read each sentence and the way she sometimes stopped to move her bangs out of her eyes.

Even if it was for just a moment, Takashi felt completely at peace.

* * *

"I missed my lovely daughter so much," Tamaki told Kyouya, as they rode in the limo.

Kyouya was itching to say something evil to Tamaki, but he decided to go with a different route.

"Didn't I tell you not to get attached?"

"Well, yes but…" Tamaki began, "Haruhi is too cute! Who couldn't get a bit attached?"

"You're looking at him." Kyouya stated.

"Then…I suppose you haven't spent time with her."

"I have when it was necessary," Kyouya replied and Tamaki shifted in his seat a little. There seemed nothing left to be said, even though Tamaki had the urge to talk a mile a minute to the friend he hadn't seen in what seemed like ages.

They were left in an awkward silence, in which Tamaki amused himself with fiddling with his hair and Kyouya took to typing diligently on his laptop. That was when, seemingly out of the blue, Kyouya said, "But…she _is _quite an interesting person."

Tamaki could only smile slightly, for it seemed that Kyouya finally approved of Haruhi….if only just a bit, that was all that mattered.

* * *

Haruhi breathed in heavily when she awoke hours later. Lifting herself up, her hand touched something hard- yet soft at the same time. That's when she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and took a look at what- or who, she had been sleeping on.

A blush spread across her cheeks when she realized that she had previously been lying on Takashi. Her head had been resting on his chest, and- her arms wandered down to where she felt warmth on her waist- one of his arms was crossed protectively around her waist, as if he had been holding her closely to his body.

Haruhi sighed and gently removed his arms from her body. She didn't mind so much that they had been in that position…she was sure that they hadn't done anything wrong after all…but she didn't want anyone finding them like that either. As far as she was concerned and from what she had seen, everyone respected the Morinozuka greatly. But she figured that if anyone saw him asleep with her like that, then matter might not go so smoothly. And destroying Takashi's reputation was one of the last things Haruhi wanted to do.

While thinking all that, she tidied the room as much as she could without waking the gentle giant. When she put the book back where Takashi had retrieved it from, her eyes glanced across his body. Though Haruhi wasn't the type to swoon, or fall in love at first sight, she did have to admire his toned, slightly tanned body. That and she couldn't help but chuckle a bit at his wild hair. Though his hair was always spiked- when he slept on it she found it well, a bit "wild."

His eyes immediately snapped open when his ears picked up her soft chuckle, and Haruhi stood frozen momentarily as his eyes swept over her. She only relaxed when a small smile graced his features and he slowly sat up in the bed.

"Good morning Mori-san," Haruhi greeted warmly.

"Ohayo," he replied, sweeping his long legs out of the bed and landing them on the floor.

"Breakfast," Takashi asked, pointing to the door and when Haruhi smiled and nodded they ventured down to one of Takashi's many kitchens, where they found that it was not breakfast at all and that it was high time for lunch.

While they ate at a small table- Haruhi was surprised that there was actually a _small _table in the house- with a white cloth draped over it and their lunch sat atop of it, they talked and laughed about little, simple things. When they had finished the tasty food Takashi went to take a phone call, which turned out to be his cousin.

"Mitsukuni is on his way," Takashi said when he stepped back into the room.

"We're going to see Hikaru?" Haruhi asked, and the urgent tone in her voice put Takashi on edge.

Haruhi blinked when she noticed that his muscles tensed up slightly, yet his face showed no signs of hardly any emotion at all. But it was almost as if it had been her imagination because his muscles soon relaxed again, and he nodded his affirmative to her question with the same stone face that he normally carried.

When Honey was at the mansion, and they all packed themselves in his ride, Haruhi was still wondering what had momentarily bothered Takashi.

Takashi stood to the side, away from Haruhi and away from Hikaru. There was nothing he could do to avert Haruhi's attention away from the Hitachiin, and even if he could distract her from him, he knew in his heart that something like that wouldn't be the right thing to do. It wouldn't be right for Hikaru and it surely wouldn't be right for Haruhi.

So he could only stand there and watch as Haruhi spent time with Hikaru and Kaoru- all things seemed to have been forgiven and put behind the three for the time being- and Takashi wanted so badly to drag Haruhi away from them because of the light laughter that circulated around the room.

Even Honey joined in the on the merry-making, much to Takashi's displeasure. Everyone was having fun except him! Takashi tensed a bit when Honey sent him a look from over his shoulder…and that look said "we'll take about this later."

So Takashi did the best he could to also seem happy, and it seemed to be working on everyone except Honey- and Haruhi. Every so often she would also give him an eye, and beyond everything it made him nervous. Yet later he realized that it also made him a bit happy…because Haruhi could see right through him just as Honey could.

* * *

"Takashi is jealous," Honey said as he licked his ice cream cone so that it wouldn't drip onto the floor. Honey, Takashi and Haruhi were at an ice-cream parlor, and Haruhi had gone off to the bathroom.

Takashi only raised his eyebrows up in surprise, as if to say, "What in the world are you talking about?"

"You're jealous of Hika-chan," Honey whispered.

"I'm worried for Haruhi." Takashi explained, "When Hikaru is around."

"You're jealous…and you want to keep Haru-chan from getting hurt," Honey concluded, causing Takashi to look away in embarrassment. But Honey only smiled widely and exclaimed when Haruhi approached the scene, "Yay! Haru-chan is back!"

"Um…you guys wouldn't happen to know her would you?" Haruhi asked, pointing to a bush that sat in a red and blue vase not too far off from their booth.

"You mean that plant?" Honey asked, tilting his head to the side.

"What? No! There's a girl _behind _the bush!" Haruhi practically yelled.

"Hontou?" Honey asked, and he quickly sprang up and moved the plant away. But there was no girl behind the large plant at all…only cobwebs and a spider that ran away as soon as it saw the light. "Haru-chan, there's nothing back here!"

"What? But…but there was," Haruhi said. Takashi couldn't help but smile; Haruhi's angry face was just _that _cute. The frustrated girl walked over to where Honey was and looked around the rather large place.

That's when Takashi noticed who Haruhi had been talking about. Actually, he had noticed her a long time ago and had decided to ignore her…but since Haruhi had now noticed her there was no use in letting her continue to hide.

So Takashi went to the counter where you ordered your desserts and such, then gently plucked the cinnamon color-haired girl from behind it and sat her back onto the floor.

"Ah! That's her," Haruhi said while her and Honey approached Takashi and no other than the host club's self-proclaimed manager, Houshakuji Renge.

Renge grinned and laughed her famous laugh, her hand below her chin in all her dramatic glory. A camera was hanging from her neck from a strap; her fashionable cosplay outfit seemed to fit perfectly with her over the top laugh and nature. When she was finally finished with her sudden out burst of laughter she told them all something they weren't quite expecting to hear.

"Well, it seems I have been caught," she said with a shrug.

"But Renge-chan, why were you hiding in the first place?" Honey asked.

"It really is simple Honey-sempai," Renge said, holding up her camera for all to see, "I was taking pictures for the Moe Moe Journal! The new headline is: What Host Club Members do when out of Club!"

"Ah…" Takashi said.

"Oh! That sounds good," Honey replied, nodding, "But does Kyo-chan like it?"

Renge stood there momentarily, a bead of sweat rolling down her head. "Eh heh…Honey-sempai…" she said nervously, and before anything else, she bolted out the door and left a trail of smoke behind her.

"Um…" Haruhi was completely lost…

"Don't worry Haru-chan! Kyo-chan will handle it if Renge does something weird." Honey assured her, though Haruhi still had no idea what was going on. She wasn't even sure if she really wanted to know.

* * *

It hurt when Hikaru was finally able to sit up all the way in bed. It was killing him to have to sit there all day with nothing to do. He couldn't perform any mischief other than tricking the nurses…and that seriously got on his nerves. It was even worse that nearly his entire body was sore and that he could barely move.

He looked down at his brother, who was sleeping at the end of the bed with a peaceful look on his face. Earlier in the day, he had been having so much fun with Haruhi that it reminded him just why he had fallen in love with her in the first place. But- he looked out of the window and into the pale blue sky- their relationship wasn't going anywhere except, once again, right down the path of friendship.

Meanwhile- and now he looked back to Kaoru- his friendship and life with Kaoru had been threatened. After hours of thinking Hikaru had finally realized just how much he had jeopardized his relationship with his twin- and it took him getting hit by a car to realize it.

'I can't let a girl get in the way of us anymore…but…that won't stop me from feeling the way I do about her. So…I really do have to choose between them…' he thought.

Because there was no way that he wanted to see Haruhi or Kaoru hurt…and there definitely wasn't going to be anyone else ending up in the hospital on his account…

But Hikaru was completely torn between the two. Kaoru, his twin who had always been there for him, and Haruhi who he was in love with and couldn't stop thinking about even in his hospital bed, was driving Hikaru insane.

**A/N: If you write stories you know how it is when you see that people with only two chapters have about a hundred reviews…while I REALLY, REALLY appreciate my reviewers I also know that I have a lot more people reading this story than who take the time to review. Even if you just say something like, "nice story" I'll be satisfied. **

**One day, I want to get up to one hundred reviews- but for now, if you're reading this story then please review! I believe that I can get at least twenty reviews for each chapter.**

**Anyways, I think I've finally decided on the final pairing. I would say who it is…but I'm not absolutely positive yet. If you have any suggestions for future chapters let me know because I want to incorporate other characters like Casanova and Nekozawa in the mix! Plus, I wanted Haruhi to visit the host club in action! **

**On a whim, I decided to put Tamaki in this chapter...and I'm only going to take him back out in the next one (sweat drop) Then, on another whim, I put Renge in too! I'm having a lot of whims it seems...**

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are my friends (smile) **


	13. Love isn't Simple

**ATTENTION: This is officialy a MoriHaru fic! I think that the majority of my readers will be happy with that and I am too. Of course, this is a harem and you've seen how the story has been going so far. We've still got some Kyouya and Tamaki love to see. **

**With that in mind, please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It was three days until the scheduled time that Tamaki would be arriving back home. That meant three days for Hikaru to pull himself together and decide on what action he wanted to take next. It also meant three days for Kaoru to decide how he was going to make Haruhi his without hurting Hikaru and maintaining their brotherly love relationship. There was three days for Honey to cheer Takashi on in the pursuit of Haruhi. For Kyouya, it meant three host days without three host club members (including Kaoru who was still accompanying Hikaru). As if having only one out wasn't enough! Three days were left until Tamaki would be with his beloved daughter again.

It meant three days…for Takashi to confess to Haruhi.

The senior host moved slowly about the room. He looked in the mirror, examined his spiky hair and fiddled with it a bit until it matched his expectations. He slipped on his clothes, which consisted of a dark purple shirt, a black vest and black jeans. He also pulled a silver chain over his neck and his favorite watch onto his wrist. Takashi wasn't the type to fawn over looks, but he enjoyed looking nice, especially when he had a reason to.

He stealthily peeked into Haruhi's room, where the brunette was still slumbering. One of her feet was dangling over the side of the bed, while most of the sheets were tangled around her waist. He would've chuckled if he didn't want to be careful to not wake her up. She was still sleeping, and yet he had gotten up early in the morning, did morning exercises, went to school, host club, came back home and changed clothes…and this girl was knocked out cold.

Today, there was nothing more Takashi wanted than to spend time with Haruhi. Unlike Tamaki, he was immediately aware of his feelings for Haruhi. There was no other explanation for why he wanted to protect her, watch her and simply _be _with her all hours of the day. So even though his time was almost up, he was determined to get all that was on his chest out before it was too late.

Even if there was a chance that Haruhi might reject him, he was willing to take that risk solely for the purpose of finding out. If she rejected him, he decided to move on with his life, and if she didn't…well…a small smile graced his features. Takashi would be the happiest man on the planet.

Haruhi rolled over and nearly fell out of the bed. Thankfully, Takashi had caught her in the nick of time. Her eyes popped open and she jumped back onto the bed much like a scared cat would do.

"Good sleep?" Takashi questioned, and Haruhi could see the amusement in his eyes. She smiled and nodded.

"It was a nap," she explained as she walked past him. "I was almost bored to death- so I took a nap."

"Ah…" he said and fiddled with the tickets behind his back. He watched as she smoothed down her shirt. Suddenly, he found himself hesitant. He had always been the one who got confessions, not the one who gave them. Takashi had always felt bad for the girls he had let down, but that was nothing compared to how nervous he was feelings at that point. He wasn't even confessing yet and his palms were getting sweaty!

But he remembered what Honey had told him during the lunch break at school. Honey proved to be extremely good inspiration when one needed it.

**Flashback**

_As Honey chomped down his dessert Takashi stared at his plate. Most of the food had gone uneaten, for he found that he hadn't an appetite. With Tamaki gone off with his father, Hikaru in his hospital bed and Kaoru at his side, and Kyouya skipping lunch to do whatever it was he did on his laptop, Takashi and Honey were the only hosts in the cafeteria. _

_Of course, that meant plenty of whispers from the girls. Things like, "They must be so lonely without the other hosts…but at least they have each other!" That was accompanied by squeals of delights from the girls. Their high pitched tones rang through Takashi's ears and once again made him grateful that Haruhi wasn't like them. _

"_Takashi?" Honey piped up, once he was finally done with his six cupcakes, chocolate milk, and slice of apple pie. "What's wrong?"_

"_Nothing," Takashi stated. Honey formed his lips into a pout._

"_Is it Haru-chan?" _

_Takashi was less than shocked by his cousin's knowledge. He guessed that the blond had known before Takashi knew it himself: he liked Haruhi much more than a friend. _

"_Un," he said with a curt nod. Honey beamed summoned a special cupcake from behind his back for Takashi._

"_Yay! We should celebrate," Honey exclaimed and Takashi raised his eyebrows in questioning. "Now Takashi and Haru-chan can live happily together, ne? That's reason to celebrate, Takashi!"_

"_Ah," Takashi agreed. "Demo…" _

"_No 'buts' Takashi," Honey smiled despite his scorning tone. "If you like Haru-chan, then you should tell her. That's only fair, right? And…I want you to be happy."_

_Takashi smiled and nodded. Honey was right. The rule was this: if you wanted something bad enough, then you'll be daring enough to go after it. _

"_Kyo-chan thinks she's a commoner," Honey said, and suddenly pulled two tickets from behind his back. "So you should take her to a movie. Like a date!"_

_If Takashi hadn't learned to keep his balance he would've fallen out of his seat. To think, someone like Honey knew about dating! Plus, how did he know what commoners liked? Well…the kid was full of surprises._

"_It's traditional," Honey said with a wink, "To buy lots of popcorn and stick your hand in with hers!" _

"_Ah…" Takashi sweat dropped. He __**had **__to make note of stopping Honey from watching crazy TV shows. _

**End Flashback**

"Haruhi," Takashi voiced as they made the bed together. He waited until the comforter floated down onto the mattress so that he could see her face, then extended the movie tickets out to her. She took the tickets from his hand and read the little rectangles.

"A movie," she asked, blinking. "Can't we just watch those on the television?"

"It's different," he said. He swallowed hardly; maybe she just didn't want to go with him and was trying to think of a way to get out of it. But her face soon brightened and her eyes sparkled with something that made Takashi's heart skip a beat.

"I remember…something about the theatre," Haruhi said. "I think once, there was gum on my shoe." She sighed at the memory. "That's all I remember though."

"I'll go with you though," she said and at that moment Takashi felt as if he could fly. He smiled gently and then told her that he was going to get their ride ready. Haruhi watched the doorway until she was completely sure that he was gone…then sprang into action.

She combed her unruly hair as best she could. She even put a small pony-tail on the side of her head and left the rest of her brown locks down. It wasn't quite what she expected but it would do, considering that her hair was short and that there wasn't much that could be done with it that would suit her tastes.

Then she examined her outfit. She wore a simple short sleeved shirt with blue and white stripes smiley face. Her pants were nothing special, just simple blue jeans with a sparkly imprint on one of the back pockets. Haruhi decided that she looked suitable enough to go to the movies, though she only vaguely remembered what going out to the movies was like at all.

She went down to the main front door where Takashi was waiting. He took her to one of the places where vehicles were kept in the large mansion, and she was surprised when they got into a black Benz with black rims to match. He opened the door of the passenger seat for her, and then got in on the driver side, to Haruhi's surprise.

She had never witnessed a host driving, for so far they all had chauffeurs to do it for them. But Takashi instructed her to put her seatbelt on and then he started the ignition. He fiddled with the rearview mirror and- with a sudden jolt- he sped off down the street.

He rolled the windows down slightly so that a cool breeze caressed both of their hair. He enjoyed the way her cute little style moved around in the wind. She simply enjoyed the way Takashi turned on the radio and then hummed lowly to the beat, though it was quite obvious he knew nothing about the song. She laughed, and suddenly found herself singing a bit of it too.

When a song called _Sakura Kiss _came on Takashi smiled and turned the music up a bit more. They would've stayed together in that ride all night if they hadn't had a movie to get to.

The pair hopped out of the ride and went into the movie theatre, still humming snippets of merry songs.

* * *

It was difficult for Hikaru to move around with his broken arm, his sore legs and aching joints. His golden eyes were slanted as he watched the channels on the television in his luxurious hospital room flip past. His finger diligently changed the channels but nothing interested him in the least and there was nothing at all for him to do except listen to his own mind voice and try to stop Kaoru from worrying too much about him.

But Kaoru could see the distant look in his brother's eyes that mixed with the bored expression on his face. It worried him to death to see his brother that way, even though there wasn't much he could do about it except try to keep Hikaru's spirits up.

That was a difficult task.

No matter how many, or to what extent of tricks he played on nurses, doctors and even other sick patients, Kaoru couldn't get a rise out of Hikaru. When it was getting late and visiting hours were soon to be up, Kaoru sighed and sat on Hikaru's bed.

"I know this is hard Hikaru," he started, and found that Hikaru still didn't look directly at him. The older twin's eyes merely glanced at him before diverting their attention back to his toes, which wriggled from beneath the sheets. "But we have to talk. Doing this…it isn't getting us anywhere and you know it."

"What're we doing Kaoru?" Hikaru asked, trying to play innocent.

"You know Hikaru. We're trying to avoid the matter at hand…and we're avoiding each other."

"I'm not avoiding anything," Hikaru said, smugness leaking from his voice even though he was trying his best to keep his temper. "I got ran over by a truck."

"That's pretty obvious. But that wouldn't have happened if we had just made things clear with each other."

Kaoru took a deep breath and watched as his brother visibly tensed. Then he continued. "Hikaru, you told me that I could pursue Haruhi, didn't you? But the moment you found out that I was really planning on doing just that, you ran away. Either you want to play fair and let Haruhi choose between us, or you want me to call it quits. I…I really don't plan on doing the latter of the two."

"You wouldn't do it for me?" Hikaru asked, now glaring at Kaoru, "You wouldn't give up Haruhi, **even** if it was for me?"

"Would you…for me?" Kaoru asked back. Hikaru chocked down his fear. That was the question he wanted to know as well. "This is hurting both of us Hikaru. But if it means that all of this will just stop- then I'm willing to leave Haruhi be, with you."

"We can't stop our feelings Kaoru….so I can't ask you to stop yours."

"But you can ask me to ignore them for your sake," Kaoru said, smiling a bit. Hikaru sighed; this was not getting any easier for him.

"I want…I want," Hikaru bit his lip and closed his eyes. There seemed, now, only one reasonable thing to do and he knew Kaoru was thinking the same exact thing.

"I want us both to confess to Haruhi…properly."

Kaoru nodded and tried not to make a loud cry of victory. Instead of extending the conversation, he pulled a Sharpie out of his pocket and grinned, "So, shouldn't I be the first to sign that cast?"

* * *

They had decided to see a scary movie. They had sodas and a tub of popcorn to share. Takashi had offered to buy more for Haruhi, but she declined the offer. Haruhi was well, less than what the actresses in shows made females out to be. She didn't scream nor did she cling onto Takashi on the 'scary parts' of the movie. In fact, she actually laughed at some of the parts that earned a gasp or shriek from the group in the theatre.

Takashi was also enjoying himself. He had to remember to thank Honey for the popcorn idea, for every so often his fingers would brush against Haruhi's when both of them delved into the bucket at the same time. Once, Haruhi even smiled up at him during one of those momentary touches.

"Dinner?" he asked once the movie was over and they were walking to the vehicle

"I couldn't impose," Haruhi said, mimicking a line from the movie and batting her eyes just as the girl had done. Takashi smiled and also mimicked the movie. He looped his arm and Haruhi stuck her own arm through the hole so that they walked side by side, together. Though he was fairly taller than her, Takashi felt that they were the perfect fit.

It was during dinner that Takashi had to excuse himself from the table to take a phone call. Haruhi had insisted that she have nothing but water with a simple salad, and Takashi didn't mind that since it was obvious she was trying to make sure that not a lot of money would be spent. Takashi would buy her the world if she wanted it, but he respected her wishes and found himself only eating a salad as well.

The phone call was short and to the point, no beating around the bush was involved, just the way Takashi liked it. Normally, he would've carried himself right back to the table, but the conversation had him stunned. After awhile he gathered his emotions together again and walked ever so slowly back to the table.

He didn't want to say it…he didn't want to do it…but he had no choice.

"I won't be home," he said, and Haruhi looked up from her salad with a questioning glance. "Business matters…"

"Ah," Haruhi said, just as he normally did in conversations. Now she could see why he did. There was no other word that she could think to say at the moment, for her heart had quickly jumped into her head and suddenly went crashing down to the bottom of her stomach. She shifted uncomfortably…she didn't even want to know _why _he would be gone.

So she said, "Will you still be going to school?"

"Un," he said, "But I won't be home till late."

"I see…" she replied. So that meant that they probably wouldn't have much time to spend with each other. Somehow she knew that when he said he was going to be home late, that meant that he probably wouldn't be sleeping unless he did the sleeping in school.

Takashi drove her home with silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence; silence with Takashi was never uncomfortable. But Haruhi couldn't help but shift in her seat a bit and Takashi couldn't stop glancing at her every so often. It was if words were left hanging in the air, things that needed to be said but neither had courage enough to form the words.

At his home, Haruhi found her things already packed up and ready to go. "Mori-san?" She looked to him with confusion in her eyes and she answered her question, "Kyouya's house."

She nodded, knowing there would be no arguing. He didn't want her home alone, bored or lonely, so he was sending her away for her own good.

But she didn't feel good about it at all, in fact, she felt quite edgy.

A cold chill suddenly swept through her when Kyouya rolled down his window and looked straight into her eyes. It seemed those eyes could see anything they wanted; including her soul.

**A/N: Well, I've never heard anything about Takashi being able to drive but I'm pretty sure he can...plus I always wanted to take a ride with him myself (sigh) Anyways...yes, this is officialy a story for Mori and Haruhi. **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	14. Kyouya's Dance

**Announcement: If you like the TamaHaru pairing then you should go to my profile and read my one-shot, titled Picture Perfect. If you want to read another chaptered series from me (it's a short story, probably going to be 5 chapters long) then you should read Who Did It? It's sure to amuse you! **

The room was dark. The only light that was in the room shone hazily on his glasses and face. The only sound was the tap-tap-tapping of his fingers bouncing on and off the little square keys what seemed to be the speed of light.

Haruhi was looking in through the crack of the door like a child who thinks he is sneaking his way into his parents' room, knowing full well he isn't supposed to. She watched as Kyouya continued his work, which she can also be called 'ignoring Haruhi as if she doesn't even exist.'

Suddenly, without looking away from the screen or without missing a beat of his ever-going typing he said, "It's rude to stare."

The spell was broken, and time was brought back into the world. Haruhi let out a breath she didn't remember taking and stood up slowly. "Sorry…I wasn't intentionally spying."

Kyouya made a low humming sound, as if to say that he had heard her speaking but he didn't really care to listen to what she had to say. Instead of replying, he went right on doing whatever it was that he was doing, and it irked Haruhi a bit. Already, she missed being with Takashi. 'Anyone is better than this jerk…' she thought sullenly while stepping out of his doorway and closing the door completely behind her.

She sighed and slowly walked back to where her room was, thinking it best to just leave Kyouya alone. He surely wasn't the type to read with late at night or the type that would go to the movies with her. So Haruhi plopped down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling- wondering how in the world she would survive in the crazy life she was living.

* * *

Kyouya wasn't a fan of crazy anime or reality shows. He watched the news every once and awhile when he got the chance, and that was rare in itself. He sipped leisurely at his Earl Grey tea and set it down in the small saucer that was resting on the table. Walking past the television that was on even though no one was watching it, he went to his private bathroom to brush his teeth for the night.

"_We are here live at the scene where a man with crazy red hair is threatening his life by attempting to jump from a building." There was a pause, and although Kyouya couldn't see it, the lady on the screen pressed her fingers against the machine that was on her ear._

"_Oh! I just got news that the man who, about a week ago, pulled a stunt when a house was on fire. He was apparently in search of his daughter, who has gone missing. Now he's attempting suicide!"_

Kyouya dried his wet face with a cream colored towel and looked at himself in the mirror afterwards. While the television continued to speak about the man on the building he shook his head in shame for the person. In his opinion there were probably only two percent of sane people left in the world.

"_Wait! The man is shouting something…they say he's saying that…his daughters' name is Fujioka Ha- oh my goodness! He almost fell!"_

Kyouya raised an eyebrow. Fujioka Ha-? Ha- what? Haruhi? Kyouya shook his head at his foolishness. There was no way that the daughter of the crazy man on TV was the girl with amnesia in his guest room.

Then again, life has crazy ways, and Kyouya was always prepared for what might happen. So he walked into the room and saw the camera get as good as a close up it could on the man on the rather tall building. From where he was standing, Kyouya supposed that if the man _did_ jump, the fall wouldn't be enough to kill him. Just as Kyouya was becoming a bit intrigued by the situation, hands grabbed the man and pulled him away from the window he was threatening to jump out of.

Kyouya sighed and shut the television off. He grabbed his notebook from its resting place and quickly scribbled in _Fujioka _so that he could continue his search later. Meanwhile, there was other business to attend to.

Kyouya slipped into his bed without even ruffling the sheets and in the blink (or close) of an eye, he was asleep.

* * *

One thing that Haruhi learned was that you never, ever, wake Kyouya up too early. If you did, you would surely fall into a pit of sorrow.

As soon as she lifted her fist to knock on the door, a flurry of skirts and a huge gust of wind swept her off her feet and far away from the Kyouya's door as possible. Seconds later maids were huddled all around her breathing quite heavily in her face, there hands on their knees, bending forward.

Haruhi sweat dropped; since when had she been flat on her back on the floor?

"Ano…" she started, when sweaty hand clamped down onto her mouth.

"Don't ever, _**ever **_do that again," a maid said with such malice that Haruhi's heart caught in her throat. The hand was still covering he mouth so she nodded slowly until the hand released her and the young woman smiled at her sweetly. "Thanks Haruhi-san! If you want, we can escort you to a kitchen so that you may have breakfast."

"N-no thanks." Haruhi stated. She was still sort of afraid of the pretty lady. But the maid only smiled and turned on her heel to depart from the room, leaving Haruhi to wonder why in the world she couldn't knock on Kyouya's door.

A few hours later Haruhi glimpsed Kyouya in his school uniform. She had forgotten that he had to go to school. So she waited…and waited…got a call from Tamaki…then what? _Waited. _Finally, Kyouya returned home.

He didn't appear to be in a good mood either. She watched from across the room as he ate his food. When he was finished he looked up at her. He paused for awhile, and Haruhi could feel the tenseness of the room. Then he spoke.

"Do you know how to dance?"

It took awhile to process. It barely registered to her at all. "What?" she asked dumbly. He smirked and stood. As he came near her she could practically feel herself paling. It wasn't that she was scared of him…but he _did_ creep her out a bit.

He leaned down so closely to her that she could feel his black bands mingling with her own brown hair. "Do you…know…how to dance?" he asked slowly, as one would talk to a mentally slow person so that the person could properly understand. Haruhi couldn't help but feel insulted.

She answered back with as much displeasure in her voice that she could muster, "_No_."

He chuckled and moved away before snapping his fingers, signaling two maids to snatch her up and carry her away (a habit that many of the hosts had picked up from the twins).

* * *

The ballroom was humongous. Light sparkled off from the grand chandelier in the middle of the ceiling and decorated the marble floor with sparkles of radiance. The room was empty of any occupants or tables or chairs.

Haruhi walked into the room, her heels clicking against the floor and making the only sound in the room echo all around her. The white dress swished delicately around her knees as she walked into the open space, despite the nervous feelings that made her want to run back to her room and cower as if there was a thunderstorm approaching.

"Hello?" she called, but to no answer. Then there was a soft tapping noise. Someone was walking. "Kyouya-san?"

He walked slowly and up to her, his shoes tapping softly on the floor. She tilted her head to the side in confusion. All she knew was that she had been dragged all around the house, preparing for something, though she wasn't quite sure what it could be.

Then he held out his hand to her.

She smiled gently and upon instinct, put her hand in his. Before she knew it he wrapped his hand around her waist and wrapped his fingers in hers. They swayed and twirled to an invisible beat that was in their heads.

"Sorry…" she mumbled when she stepped on his foot again and again. Either his brow was furrowed in anger or he was in deep concentration.

"Let me lead you," he suddenly said after awhile. "You're too tense."

She nodded and did the best she could too move along with Kyouya. After awhile she was no longer scuffing his expensive shoes. When he twirled her around the room she was suddenly aware that soft slow music really _was_ playing. She would've taken a chance to look around for the source of it, but Kyouya was creating an elaborate dance pattern that was hard to keep up with.

"I believe you'll be proficient enough for Saturday night," he said as if making conversation but was talking only to himself for the most part.

"You must really want to please Tamaki-san." Haruhi said. Kyouya looked down at her as if it was the first time he had noticed that she was in the room.

"Well, we wouldn't want any embarrassments now would we?"

She did everything she could to contain her upcoming sigh. Something told her that Kyouya didn't give a care about her at all. 'There isn't much I can expect' she thought 'we barely know each other.'

The way he was holding her said otherwise. Their bodies were too close for comfort, Haruhi realized when she noticed that both of his hands were on her waist and that her hands were draped upon his shoulders.

She stopped dancing and slowly backed up. Though she had no idea why she suddenly felt uncomfortable she knew that it had to be _something _that just wasn't right with the picture before her.

Kyouya only smirked and pushed up his glasses with the tip of his middle finger.

"I-I'm really sorry," she said, bowing slightly. "I'm glad you're teaching me and all, but I don't exactly feel comfortable right now. Can I be excused?"

"No one is holding you here against your will," he replied. Though there was hardly any emotion in his voice the choice of words he used pierced Haruhi in her heart. She could tell that somehow, she had managed to hurt his feelings. Before she could apologize again he turned away and walked back into the entrance from which he had come from.

Haruhi slowly made the trip back to her room after declining the maids' offers to accompany her. The trip was long as she walked to her room. She let her fingers trace across the wall.

'I just want to go home…' she thought. Haruhi smacked her hand roughly against the wall upon realization that she had no home to go back to. She racked her mind for that distant thought that would bring back all her memories. She knew she really needed them, but they would just not come.

No memories…except for Takashi.

Takashi's smile invaded her vision and the soft touch of his hands wrapped around her waist. _No one else's. _

She didn't know why at all, only that if she had a choice in the matter then she would be with him at that exact moment. But she had no choice.

'I don't even have a last name.' she thought bitterly and closed her door behind her. Her back against the door, she slowly slipped down until she was on her butt so that she could hug her knees close to her.

Immediately after dance lessons, Kyouya had went back to his room and gotten onto his laptop. He drummed his fingers on the desk, despite the fact that he hardly ever did so. He thought it a bad habit to gain. Thinking back to Haruhi, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Kyouya knew all too well what had suddenly shaken up the girl. Since he was a host himself, he had barely even noticed the close proximity to which they were dancing. At first he had been surprised to her reaction, but that feeling soon fell into amusement.

Any other girl that he knew would've blushed, stuttered and possibly fallen all over herself. Not Haruhi; she was different. He was blissfully unaware of how pleased he was with that. Or at least, he pretended to be.

From the very beginning, he was the one who had told the hosts not to get too attached to the girl. He had always reminded on every short encounter not to do so. But every time he saw her he couldn't help but feel satisfied.

"There's no such thing as love at first sight," he quietly reminded himself.

Then why did he suddenly feel the need to check on her? He supposed there was nothing wrong with going to at least see how she was doing. Nothing was wrong with it, he reminded himself.

When he was done, he vowed to get back onto the computer so that he could get the girl out of his life as soon as possible, before she did anymore unnecessary things to the host club….including himself…

* * *

To say that Takashi missed Haruhi was an understatement. He was going crazy. But there was no time to visit her at all. Right after school, he was busy all through the night with various things. One including picking up his tux for the party Kyouya was holding for Tamaki.

He vaguely wondered what would happen at the party. Everybody but Tamaki knew about the blonde's crush on the girl. But Takashi knew that he had more than a crush on Haruhi. He _needed_ her.

He planned on telling her that at the exactly perfect moment. They would be alone, and he would have her all to himself.

Though in different places, Hikaru, Kaoru and Takashi whispered the same things to themselves.

'The night of the party, I'll tell her.'

**A/N: I have a hard time matching Haruhi with Kyouya but I think if you squint then you can see a little romance happening. This chapter was shorter than my others but that's because I can't wait to the next chapter- yes, everyone shall confess! And after that? Well, that's my little secret. The mysteries of Haruhi's past will be revealed!**

**I look forward to your reviews. Thanks to all that recently put this on alert and favorited and to the people who reviewed! I got a pretty good amount of reviews last time, but I'm still hatin' on people who get like twenty reviews per chapter. So I'll leave my destiny in your hands! Ja ne, miina!**

* * *


	15. Confessions

The mirror with little jewels encrusted onto the brim of it let Haruhi's reflections stare back at her. The light pink dress was just above her knees. It was the same one that she had picked out on her trip with Kyouya only a few days ago. Her pink pearl earrings picked up the gleam of light perfectly.

The wig she wore went down to her mid-back, while little tendrils of curls hung down from her temples. At first, she had wobbled in the heels, but Kyouya had made sure that she had plenty of practice walking in them before the party started.

She walked slowly into the foyer, trying not to mind the attentive stares she got from people. Haruhi especially tried not to notice that there seemed to be a majority of females at the party. She was also aware of the quartet playing stringed instruments in a corner of the hall. Waiters dressed in black and white offered drinks and little foods with toothpicks sticking out of them. She smiled and declined an offer for food, then looked at the grand double doors that would allow her entrance into the main area that the party was being held in.

This was a different ballroom than she had been allowed to practice her dancing in. This one was much bigger, surely grander. Her breath was taken away at the sight of it. Upon first entering, she noticed that the high-ceiling that seemed to be able to envelope her. Immense numbers of sparking chandeliers hung from the high-up ceiling, picking up the dazzling glaze of the jewelry that the occupants of the ballroom wore.

The gracefully arched windows were decorated with unstained red curtains, trimmed with gold. Couches and chairs were spread about the room to facilitate conversation and allow one to have a break from the pleasures that was sure to come from the dance. Haruhi was sure that the one chair alone cost more than a normal house would.

At the front of the ballroom was a grand staircase with pure white carpet that led to the balconies. Plenty of people lingered by the staircase but none dared to venture up them. Haruhi wondered why.

Suddenly, the music stopped. Everyone, including Haruhi, turned to the staircase expectantly. The lights went out, and Haruhi was suddenly very aware that she had no idea where Kyouya was at, even though he had instructed her to go down to the ballroom minutes ago. Five spotlights magically appeared on the staircase, showcasing the host club members and all their glory.

On one side of the stairwell, were Hikaru and Kaoru, matching in their slicked down hairdos and vests. On the other side, Honey was clutching his Bun-Bun and Takashi was two steps apart from him, just as Hikaru and Kaoru were. At the top of the stairs, was the dashing Kyouya in a black jacket suit and blue tie.

As soon as the lights had popped on, the girls had immediately started to clap and cheer. Some even fainted on the spot, causing Haruhi to sweat drop.

"Ladies, allow me to welcome you to my home," Kyouya said. His voice was clear and precise, and Haruhi wondered if he had an invisible microphone somewhere so that everyone could hear him above the wooing fan girls. "I do hope that you will all immensely enjoy yourselves here, for I know that I and my fellow hosts shall very much in the time that we are graced with your company."

A group of girls suddenly shouted out, "We love you Kyouya!"

Haruhi wanted to run away from the bizarre world that she was now finding herself in. What in the world was going on, anyways?

Kyouya gave them a charming smile, and then continued, "Without further adieu, I am proud to be able to announce the return, of the host club president…Suoh Tamaki."

A single spotlight was beamed to the left of Kyouya. The light moved as Tamaki made his way toward Kyouya, and the girls screamed with utter delight at the sight of their favorite host. His blond hair and violet eyes seemed to shine brighter than the sun under the spotlight from being heightened by the white suit he was wearing.

He smiled, and girls collapsed. He spread his arms out wide and said, "My beautiful ladies, I have returned, and never shall leave you again! So please, let us make this night one to remember and keep in our hearts forever more."

Tamaki bowed, and all the other hosts followed suit. The girls screamed loudly and didn't stop, even when the hosts descended the stairs one after another, taking their precious time to get to their customers.

They each swept up a girl who was one of their regular customers, and guided her to the dance floor while everyone else clapped. Tamaki snapped his fingers, and the music suddenly came at full supremacy. Haruhi watched, captivated by the way that everyone was suddenly moving around the ballroom. The girls that were not being enticed by a host immediately humored themselves with dancing with each other, getting drinks and simply chatting.

Haruhi felt quite out of place in the middle of the dance floor, so she went to one of the luxurious couches and sat there. What was only forty-five minutes but what seemed like an eternity to Haruhi passed before someone finally came up to talk to her. The hosts had been switching dance partners, assuring that everyone girl would have at least one dance before the night was over. Now, it seemed as if two of them were able to take a break.

"My, my, look at little Haruhi, all dressed up." Hikaru teased, his golden eyes twinkling with pleasure. Haruhi examined his arm which was in a cast and splint. Looking up at his face, Haruhi saw no sign of his previous bruises and cuts. He noticed how intently she was looking at him, and gave a knowing smirk. "Never underestimate the power of make-up."

"Hikaru, isn't make-up for girls?" Haruhi teased. Hikaru let laughter embrace him; despite the fact his ribs were still a bit sore when he did so. Still, it felt good to see Haruhi again.

"Ne, Hikaru, who do you think looks better tonight? Between us and Haruhi?" Kaoru asked.

"Hmm…" Hikaru hummed, thoroughly examining Haruhi from head to toe, and then changing his glace to his brother, who posed and smirked seductively. "Gomen, Kaoru, but I think Haruhi takes the cake this time."

They looked to Haruhi, identical grins on their faces. Haruhi smiled. "I don't think I look that great…you two are pretty fixed up today, too."

"True, true," the twins agreed in unison. "So Haruhi…want to dance?"

Before she even had the chance to answer they were pulling her up and dragging her out onto the dance floor. Kaoru, who was quicker because he had the use of both his hands, intertwined his fingers in hers and put a hand gently on her waist. Hikaru smiled when he winked back at him playfully and spun Haruhi around at the same time.

Dancing with Kaoru was different than dancing with Kyouya. The moves weren't as precise, not nearly as 'step-one-two' as she had memorized. He moved her gracefully but not swiftly enough to make her trip or fall. He smiled down at her, though on the inside he was about to his breaking point.

Was now the right time to tell her? Should he wait?

He swallowed and looked away from her momentarily. They were catching some heated gazes from some of the girls. He smiled crookedly at them and then turned his attention back to the one he was dancing with. She seemed to be content with him.

"Kaoru, I…just really wanted to apologize for all that has happened," Haruhi said, stumbling a bit in the dance.

"Me too," Kaoru apologized. They shared a moment, in which they both felt at ease. Kaoru opened his mouth again, feeling that it was now or never…

"Got cha," Hikaru said, and swept Haruhi away. This time, he was the one doing the winking. Kaoru smiled and shook his head at his brothers' antics.

"So Haruhi, did you have fun with the Shadow King?" Hikaru asked as they danced as best they could. Haruhi's clumsy dancing didn't help out with his broken arm at all.

"He's…interesting," Haruhi replied.

"In other words, the guy is creepy," Hikaru laughed. _Should I tell her now? What about now?_ He swallowed his fear and pride. "Haruhi…I- Ouch!"

"Eh- sorry, Hikaru!"

She had stepped on his feet this time. He winced in pain and tried his best to assure her that he was alright in between his muttered curses.

"Haru-chan, dance with me!"

Quicker than anyone could tell, Honey swept Haruhi away. Hikaru looked up upon noticing that his dance partner had disappeared. He noticed how somehow, the small senior had gotten her to start twirling him around by his wrists. 'Did…Honey-sempai steal her away…on purpose?'

"Wasn't that fun?" Honey asked, his feet once again placed on the ground. He was the picture of perfect health, while Haruhi breathed heavily from the ride that Honey fondly called a dance.

"Y-yes…it was nice," she lied. At least it made the blond happy. He smiled broadly, then made her lean down to his level by pulling gently on her wrist. "Haru-chan tonight is special. So enjoy it okay?"

She didn't quite understand where he was coming from but she agreed to do so, and he skipped away to find another girl to dance with. Haruhi sighed. Maybe now she could get a rest…or at least something to drink.

"Thirsty?"

The glass held in front of her clinked the ice inside it. She took it gratefully and thanked Tamaki.

"Haruhi…" he said, looking away from her. He seemed nervous. "Will you come with me, outside?"

Haruhi was suddenly aware that she was hot, and that maybe a nice breeze would do her good. So she accepted the offer and allowed Tamaki to escort her out of the house and to a large fountain, where a white bench was seated.

They sat there while she drank and Tamaki plucked a beautiful red rose from the bush he was sitting next to. He twirled it in his fingers, before speaking in a low and uncharacteristically serious voice, though it was shaky and proved his nervousness.

"D-do you believe in love at first sight, Haruhi?"

Haruhi, hardly taken aback by the question, seemed to look up to the stars for the answer.

"I think that certain people are meant to be together…so I suppose that love at first sight is possible."

Tamaki, seemingly more hopeful now, smiled and put the rose in her hair. She looked at him- looked in his eyes and noticed that something was different about him.

"I…I remember when we first met," Tamaki said, "I felt weird. I…I thought you were male, and so I felt uncomfortable. Yet the moment I realized that your were a female I felt completely out of it! Like I was living in a dream-world!"

He stood up, stretched his arms out far, then brought his hand down on Haruhi's shoulders and looked into her eyes, searching for the sparkle that would mimic the one he felt in his heart.

"I wanted to give you everything I could to make you happy! I also…wanted an answer to why I feel the way I do. The answer was that you were my daughter. But now-"he swallowed his spirits dropping down to a tremendous low when he noticed the fear in her eyes. "Haruhi…do you understand?"

No. Haruhi did not understand. She wanted to understand, but her head was whirling with emotions. "Tamaki-san, what are you saying?"

"I love you Haruhi. I love you. I love you," he almost shouted. It felt good to finally get what had been on his chest clear out in the open! He released her shoulders and twirled around. When he was able to calm down he stopped and looked at her. "So…I need to know…"

_Now_ Haruhi understood. But she didn't know what to say or how to react. She was very thankful to Tamaki, but she didn't think she felt in love with him. The silence slowly melted Tamaki away, and he shrunk a bit. He smiled a smile that Haruhi had never seen him have. It was completely phony.

"I understand Haruhi…" he said quietly, "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, thinking that you felt the same way."

Haruhi was still at a loss of words. That said everything. He turned to leave, and nearly walked into Hikaru. "Ah! Sorry…" he apologized. Hikaru raised his eyebrows, giving Tamaki a curious glance before the blond ran off.

Haruhi was still sitting in the same place, her eyes watching as Tamaki went around the corner and disappeared into the shadows. She felt her chest tighten. "I didn't mean to hurt him…" she whispered.

"He'll get over it," Hikaru said, completely dismissing Tamaki by shoving his hand into his pocket and coming to sit by Haruhi. "I was looking all over for you."

Haruhi closed her eyes, and Hikaru frowned. "Oi, Haruhi! Forget about that idiot for a second. Can't you see I want to talk to you?"

She opened her eyes again and looked at Hikaru. "Hikaru, what is it that you want?"

Hikaru froze, suddenly very scared stiff. "Er…just that…"

She stood. "We'll talk later, okay? I really think I should go get Tama-"

"No!" Hikaru yelled, jumping to his feet suddenly. Haruhi took a step back, surprised by his sudden abruptness. "I want you here with me! Just with me," he grabbed her wrist and held it tightly.

"Hikaru, please let go of me," Haruhi said sternly. That only made him hold on tighter. "What's wrong with you?"

"I want you for myself," he muttered, his hair covering his eyes. His body was visibly shaking and Haruhi felt her heart stop. This was just wrong, how things were going! She didn't want to hear him say it…that was the reason she had left the Hitachiin estate in the first place! Her heart suddenly decided to work again and started to beat rapidly. Her head swam with thoughts.

"Haruhi, be mines, okay?" Hikaru, his voice on the verge of pleading, looked into her eyes with his tear filled ones. "We make a great couple, right?"

"Hikaru, stop!" Haruhi pulled away.

"Why don't you ever listen to me?" Hikaru yelled frantically.

"Because you think you own me!"

Haruhi stopped struggling and Hikaru stared with his mouth open at her. Haruhi, realizing the words that she had said had probably been a major blow to the poor boy, instantly felt guilty. She hadn't even meant to say it! She didn't mean it at all.

"Hikaru, I didn't mean that…not how you think," she tried her hardest to calm the heat of the mood down.

"You meant it…" he muttered. He wanted to do something…_anything _to stop the pain. "You've always hated me, haven't you Haruhi? You always liked everyone else better- you always-"

SLAP!!

Hikaru silently and slowly raised his hand to his bruised cheek. Haruhi could see the hurt in his eyes. She flinched when a large hand landed on her shoulder. Without looking, she knew who it was.

Soon, she could hear feet and could practically_ feel_ the millions of eyes staring at her.

"Haruhi, what's happening?"

She could hear Tamaki's voice, but the world was going around in a blur as if she was spinning around. She could feel her face heated and her feet were moving, though she had no idea where she was going. The hand had long gone from her shoulder and was now clasped around her hand.

When she looked up again, she was in a room, four walls seeming about to close in on her. 'What's happening?' she wondered, putting her hand to her aching head. Everything was going so quickly, so dangerously fast.

"Haruhi. Drink."

"Mori-san…" she breathed, taking the water and sipping it. The world slowly stopped closing in on her, though now instead of just her face her whole body felt as if it were on fire. She took another gulp of water. "Thanks."

"What happened?" he asked as he sat next to her on the long purple couch. His eyes were full of concern when he brushed her bangs gently with his finger. She sighed and slipped the wig from her head and threw it to the floor.

"Tamaki-san and Hikaru…I hurt them both without even trying," she replied. He nodded and swallowed nervously.

"Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head, though she ran her fingers along her reddened wrist. "No. Hikaru didn't hurt me…we were arguing and…I'm the one who made it a physical interaction."

He sighed and looked away, unable to stand looking at her with tears filling her brown eyes. Then he looked up when a soft click filled the silence and the door slowly came open to reveal the mirror image of Hikaru.

"Is Haruhi alright?" Kaoru asked.

"I'm fine, thanks Kaoru." Haruhi said and Kaoru breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. Then, could I talk to you?"

Kaoru stiffened at the sight of Mori's eyes narrowing. 'I'm not going to cause any trouble…' he pleaded to his senior with his eyes, and Takashi looked away from Kaoru and to Haruhi to see what her reply was.

"Sure," she replied, standing to her feet and sitting the glass of water on the floor. For a few seconds she felt quite wobbly, and then she smiled awkwardly and followed Kaoru back into the hallway.

He turned to her, rubbing his hand through his hair and taking quick glances back and forth at her before speaking. "Haruhi, can you please tell me what's happened? Hikaru's…pretty out of it right now…"

Haruhi sighed and said, "Hikaru…told me how he felt about me…and we both sort of got carried away."

"It's not like you didn't know how he felt before," Kaoru said, no malice in his voice, but definitely confusion. "So what's the big deal?"

"Last time, I heard on accident. This time, he actually confessed." Haruhi said. They both knew that that made all the difference. When Kaoru didn't say anything and the silence was becoming scary Haruhi continued. "I don't return Hikaru's feelings. I've always thought of him as a friend, never romantically. Maybe, under different circumstances I would but…the feelings that he wants me to have just aren't there."

"Then…who are they there for?"

Haruhi stared at Kaoru incredulously. "What?"

"You don't have to tell me."

The room was beginning to spin again, the mind-splitting head-ache returning. "I can't handle this," she whispered, pertaining the words to everything that had happened. Tamaki, Hikaru, and she knew, though she always tried her best to ignore it, this all had to do with Kaoru as well. She had to get away before he said too much, before she would hurt him like she had done the others.

"Haruhi, you know I- Haruhi?"

Haruhi was slowly backing away from him. "Haruhi, wait…" She ran. She ran down the hall, away….away….

"Haru-chan, come back!"

"Haruhi, wait! Come back!"

"Slow down!"

There were too many voices for her to comprehend, so many hallways to run through. The heels she was running in made her fumble onto the floor, and she unconsciously wondered how she had made it so far in the heels in the first place. After slipping them off she continued her run with sweat forming on her forehead.

She ran through the ballroom, amongst the chattering of the girls who were wondering where their precious hosts other than Kyouya had gone to, out into the foyer and down stairs until she found the way out of the mansion. She followed the trail that let her out into the neighborhood.

Haruhi stopped running, taking in deep breaths as quickly as she could receive them. Her body felt as if it was on fire and her knees were shaking.

Right where she stood, she closed her eyes, fell to the floor, and knew nothing more.

* * *

Haruhi was asleep in her hospital bed.

Takashi was let in first, since Honey had respectfully made an excuse about going to the bathroom first and everyone else was still on the way to the hospital. Her brows furrowed when he bent down and kissed her gently on her hot forehead. He whispered in her ear, not knowing if he wanted her to hear or not but said it anyways.

"I love you."

Soon, the hosts all came into the hospital room. This time though, Haruhi was the one who needed the attention. They were all basically miserable slumps of what had once been hosts, but were now reduced to normal teenagers who had gotten one of their friends hurt.

Her fever was slowly dying down. They all felt ashamed that they hadn't noticed that she was sick in the first place.

"It's my fault." Hikaru had whispered to Kaoru before they had entered the room. To which Kaoru replied, "No...It's my fault."

Tamaki also felt he was to blame and wished that he had just kept his big mouth shut.

Kyouya had even more on his conscious. There was the money he would have to spend to make it up to the girls for the ruined party. There was also Haruhi, who he would have to pay for. His glanced over the girl, breathing heavily. He pushed up his glasses, suddenly feeling a bit guilty also. 'I should've paid more attention to her…'

Honey, of course, was weeping for his dear Haru-chan.

Takashi, though he was usually silent anyways, this time was literally at a loss for words.

Hours later, when Haruhi awoke from a fitful slumber, they all gathered around her. She took one look at them and her eyes widened in what could only be described as pure fear. Her eyes scanned over all of them.

"Who are you people?"

* * *

**A/N: I have nothing to say...I'll let your reviews do the talking. Oh! One thing though, you might want to hurt me for Mori's confession, but don't fret yet! I have a few tricks up my sleeve. This chapter was really important, I think, to all of us so I hope that I pleased you with it. I tried to make it as long as possible and as crazy as possible as well. Of course, in the chapters to come...we'll be getting a bit angsty, for now the story really begins. Darn, I said I wasn't going to say anything! Oh well...thanks for the reviews you've been sending me. I tried to reply to all of them and i will this time as well.**


	16. The Aftermath

The days passed on like long years for the hosts and Haruhi. After hosting hours were over, they would immediately visit their sick friend. She no longer had a fever but Kyouya had insisted that she stay in the care of the hospital, if only for a little while longer.

Of course, the worse part of it all was that she still had no clue as to who they were. No matter how many times they tried to reminisce with her, she would not respond to any of their memories. It was as if her brain had been swept clean of everything that had once been so dear to her, to all of them.

It pained Kaoru to see Hikaru so distant. In class, he would hardly ever pay attention, which meant that Kaoru was forced to do double the work by doing Hikaru's class work and homework for him almost every day. It was annoying but he was willing to do it so that Hikaru would not fail his classes, even though Hikaru said over and over again that he didn't want Kaoru doing his work for him; he rather no one do it at all. But Kaoru knew that this was one of Hikaru's ways of getting back at the world for being so cruel. Slacking off in class and slowly closing himself off from the world was probably Hikaru's crazy way of keeping himself somewhat sane.

The host club proved to be boring as well, for there wasn't as much of pep in the step for Tamaki anymore. Dealing with other girls while the girl that he truly loved was in the hospital just didn't seem right anymore. Still, he was courteous and smiled as much as he could, though his fan girls could tell something was troubling their prince.

Kyouya sighed and examined his friends, while pretending to write in his notebook. Their gloomy moods weren't doing their profits any justice. Plus, beside the profits, it was really grating his nerves to see them like they were. So he canceled the host club for the day, and instead, put a host club meeting in session.

Hikaru and Kaoru slumped on the couch lazily. Tamaki sat in a chair and stared off into space, sighing in his depression every so often while Honey moved away his cakes and sweets with a hint of disgust on his face. Takashi, Kyouya thankfully noted, stood behind Mitsukuni and remained as stoic as ever. At least Mori hadn't changed…at least, not on the outside.

Kyouya sighed and pushed up his glasses slightly. "While it occurs to me that you all have taken quite a shock…this…is ridiculous. You're all only making matters worse by sitting around and feeling sorry for yourselves. Meanwhile, Haruhi is still in the hospital. Did you ever stop to think that _she_ might be the lonely one?"

They all looked up, their eyes void of any emotion, but Kyouya was at least thankful that he had managed to gain their attention. Previously, that had been a pretty hard thing to do.

"I think I've postponed the inevitable long enough for your sakes," he continued, walking back over to his little working station and retrieving a couple of papers from it. Kyouya then held up the papers so that they could all get a good look at them. "I was trying to wait for your wounds to heal so that you would be able to process this information, but now I think, is as good enough time as ever."

Tamaki slowly rose up and took the sheets from Kyouya's hands. The others crowded around him, their eyes just about as big as his was. The first paper was actually a picture. The picture was of a girl with long brown hair, a dark blue school girl suit on, smiling for the camera. "Haruhi…" Tamaki muttered, pulling the other papers from behind the picture. He read from the document, "Fujioka Haruhi, age fourteen. Graduate top of class."

"Where did you get these," Hikaru yelled, his golden eyes meeting Kyouya's in a cold glare. Kyouya said nothing, and so Hikaru turned back to the documents. "How do we know this is her?"

"Does it not look exactly like her?" Kyouya asked smartly. "Just to make sure, I edited the picture myself by cutting off the hair in my photo-edit workshop. She looks exactly the same. Also, and Tamaki is probably reading it right now, Haruhi's father has filed reports, so he is in search of her. Currently though, Fujioka-san himself is locked away in a mental institution for nearly jumping off a building."

Honey turned away from papers and inquired, "But Kyo-chan, why would Haruhi's dad want to jump off a building?"

"He was trying to get enough attention so that the police would go more into his case, which was finding his missing daughter," Kyouya replied.

"But…we've been with her all this time. What if they think we kidnapped her or something?" Kaoru asked. He thought about it for a second before dismissing his own question. Even if someone did accuse them of kidnapping the girl it wouldn't really matter. They came from some of the most influential families in Japan, after all.

"I say we bust her dad out of that place and hand Haruhi over," Hikaru said, not looking at any of their faces as he spoke and steadily staring at his fingernails as if they were the most interesting things on the planet.

"But it says that Fujioka-san was once on drugs!" Tamaki suddenly yelled, nearly toppling over the table that was ahead of him in the process of getting to his feet. "How do we know that Haruhi wasn't abused? That could be the reason that she has amnesia! What if she doesn't like her father? Maybe she doesn't want to remember him!"

"Still, we have no right to keep Haruhi under our wing," Kyouya reasoned.

An argument ensued, in which some of the partakers wanted Haruhi to stay and others, for Haruhi to be turned over to Ranka. Takashi stayed silent throughout the whole scenario, quietly storing away all the information.

From his quiet observations, Takashi could tell that the reason Hikaru wanted to give Haruhi up so badly was because he was bitter over rejection. Hikaru wanted nothing more to do with the girl so that he could get over the pain he felt in his heart. Kaoru only said things here and there that hinted that he wanted Haruhi to stay, though the younger twin did not wish to say anything too drastic that would lead his brother to be infuriated with him later.

'This is out of control.' Takashi thought, his eyes narrowing at his bickering fellow club members. 'The argument has nothing to do with Haruhi's well being, but with how everyone feels in their hearts.'

For the first time, Morinozuka Takashi couldn't take it anymore. His friends weren't being who he knew they could be: sensible, trustworthy young men. They were acting like shadows of their former selves. Even if it was for love, even if it was for Haruhi, Takashi wasn't for this. He did not wish to just stand by and hear them chew each other out, while deciding someone else's future.

He stood up, not bothering to hide his emotions. He knew his face was no longer in its former passive state, instead, it probably showcased all of the anger he was feeling towards them. Even Honey stared at him with wide eyes. "Mitsukuni, we're leaving." All was silent as he walked out of the Third Music Room.

Back on the inside, the silence was melting into quite an uncomfortable feeling. "What's bugging him?" Hikaru asked no one in particular, though everyone cast their glances towards Takashi's cousin.

"Takashi is angry because we're deciding Haru-chan's fate for her," Honey replied solemnly. He gathered his belonging (which was only his Bun-Bun) and walked out of the Third Music Room, where Takashi was waiting right next to the door.

* * *

Takashi nearly knocked the nurses over to get to Haruhi's room. When he opened the door, at first there was no sign of her. Then he spotted her. She was next to the window, letting the breeze flow easily through her hair and looking down at the pedestrians below.

He sighed in relief, thankful that she hadn't gone off anywhere. The night of the dance, he had never feared for anyone more when he had seen her running off down the hall. He had ignored his better judgment and had allowed her to go off with Kaoru. Of course, he couldn't have stopped her anyways. Takashi knew that, though she was sick, she was still her own person. That was the reason that he was visiting her now.

Takashi slowly walked in, then looked over his shoulder and down at Honey when he no longer felt the blonde's presence next to him. Honey only smiled and moved his hand in a motion, as if to tell Takashi to go further into the room. Takashi nodded and ventured into the room until he was standing side by side to Haruhi.

She did not look up at him and smile like she would've done in the weeks before. Haruhi never smiled at any of them anymore. She hardly spoke to them either. But, in this case, even if it might be for the last time Takashi wanted her to talk to him, and only him.

"Fujioka Haruhi," he said, just loud enough for her to hear. She didn't budge, only continued to look out at the world. He closed his eyes, wondering if there was any hope for her at all. It was if her mind was shut down. "Your name…it is Fujioka Haruhi."

"Fujioka?" She asked, finally turning to look at him. Her eyes were darker than normal; full of heavy unseen emotion; just as the host club members looked all week. He nodded and she asked, "How do you know anything about me, anyways?" Her voiced seemed to be tense, as if she was on the verge of breaking down either out of anger or to cry. Takashi didn't know which one it was, but he knew he didn't want to find out either.

He didn't answer her question, so she continued while running her fingers through her hair, a tad calmer than before, "I admit, I have a few memories about you and your friends. Just, this song that keeps playing in my head that reminds me of you..." He smiled, knowing that she was remembering Sakura Kiss. She continued steadily, "But…I have no thoughts about myself. Only a man with red hair and a woman. How is that possible? How do you even know me?"

"You're my friend," he answered in his monotonous way. He smiled slightly before placing a hand on her head and ruffling her hair. Slowly, he let his hand slide off, knowing that now wasn't the time to be fluffy. "Haruhi, do you remember your father well?"

She looked as if she were concentrating momentarily before answering, "Only bits and pieces."

"Do you remember him well enough to go back to him?"

There was silence, except for the slight sound of shifting from the doorway, which was a nervous Honey moving his body a bit. Haruhi looked away from him, not quite sure how to respond to his question though somehow, she knew that it was a very important question.

But the memories that floated through her mind proved to be warm. It showed her father to be caring and passionate. Nothing was certain for Haruhi anymore, but she was willing to try anything if it would take the confusion away from her.

"Yes," she finally replied.

Takashi closed his eyes. For some reason a sense of dread washed over him at that moment, even though he was happy that Haruhi could finally return to her real home. Still…now he felt a bit empty.

** A Few Hours Later**

Kyouya hardly ever got a call from Mori. In fact, he couldn't _ever _remember getting a call from him. It didn't surprise him though, even when Takashi asked to have a meeting with just himself, Honey and Takashi. This did not bother him. But he knew it would bother some of his other friends. Tamaki wouldn't want them having secret meetings under the circumstances they were under.

Kyouya sipped his hot tea, and then looked at the two people sitting before him. Takashi was sitting next to Honey, who was looking pleased as if they had already discussed the topic of their meeting.

They made small talk, until Honey suddenly frowned and said, seemingly out of the blue, "This is about Haru-chan, you know."

"Of course," Kyouya said, placing his tea cup back on its saucer. "What is it that you want that involves her?"

"Well…" Honey said, slightly trailing off. He heaved in a large amount of air before speaking again, "Have you contacted her father yet?"

"No." Kyouya replied flatly.

"Why?" Takashi asked passively, as if he really didn't care about the answer but was curious about it anyways.

"Simply because I don't feel that it's my job to do so," Kyouya explained, "Unlike some of the other members of the host club, I haven't subjected myself to becoming attached to Haruhi. Also, Tamaki holds the decision whether or not to call. He is the one who found Haruhi, after all."

"But you have the number," Takashi stated, not asked, because he already knew what the answer was.

"Yes, I do."

Of course Kyouya had the number. He was like the keeper of what everyone else wanted but just couldn't grasp, because he was holding it just out of their reach.

"And you could let Haru-chan go whenever you want, but you're waiting for someone else, namely Tama-chan, to make a reasonable decision," Honey mused.

"That wouldn't be incorrect," Kyouya said, smirking despite his efforts not to. Truthfully, he wanted to end the dull sickness in Tamaki's eyes. The only way to do that was to get Tamaki to see for himself, what he should've seen all along. "When you two left the room, I gave Tamaki twenty-four hours to make his decision: call Haruhi's father or not. If he does, then he's smarter than he looks. If he doesn't, then I'll have to intervene."

"What will you do?" Honey asked.

Kyouya closed his eyes, thinking the question over. There weren't many options for him. Haruhi couldn't stay in his hospital for long without something bad happening. Haruhi wasn't rich, after all. She could raise suspicion on Kyouya's part.

"Then I'll simply call Fujioka-san without Tamaki knowing it," he said, and sipped at his tea, ignoring Honey's surprised features.

"That would hurt Tama-chan's feelings!" Honey cried, jumping to his feet.

"I won't lie to Tamaki, but I can't assure that he'll know I made the call. I'll just have him think that Fujioka-san located Haruhi on his own," Kyouya replied, unmoved by Honey's sudden outburst and tear filled eyes. "He can't hold a girl hostage forever, and I won't be an accomplice in doing so."

'He just cares for her…that's why Tamaki can't let her go' Takashi thought. He figured that they weren't going to get much more information from Kyouya, so soon after that Honey and Takashi left the presence of the Shadow King. How anyone could be so sinister and kind at the same time, Takashi would never know.

* * *

Tamaki's hands shook as he held the phone in them. His nerves were wrecked, he was hot and scared and he just wanted to go to bed and forget that bad things happen in the world. But he couldn't, not yet at least. Not until he made an important decision.

He could either hand Haruhi over to her father, or he could keep her away…possibly forever. Tamaki couldn't let go of thoughts that Haruhi's father could be a potential crazy, Haruhi-beater and that Haruhi wasn't safe in his care. He had found her in an alley, for crying out loud! But he knew that there was always a different side to the story, always something that he didn't know.

Yet, common sense told Tamaki that he couldn't let Haruhi live with him forever. That was an absurd, yet oh-so-pleasing thought. There was Haruhi's education that he had to worry about. She would need motherly care once and awhile, right? Tamaki knew that he wasn't Haruhi's dad, and that Kyouya wasn't her mother. Still, he wished he could go back to the old days when he so blindly thought so.

But now that he knew he had 'fell in love at first sight', he wanted to do the best for her.

A thousand what-ifs ran through his head. What if when her father gained custody of her again, he took her away and never let Tamaki see her again? What if the dad thought he was a total idiot? What if, what if, what if?

Tamaki dropped the phone and went rigid. "What am I doing?" Tamaki asked himself. "Haruhi doesn't even remember who I am. There's no way she'd want to stay with me…"

It didn't occur to him that Haruhi hadn't known him before he had found her in the alley. It didn't occur to him at all that she might still be willing to start over with him. What did occur to him, though, was that perhaps he could still bring back all the memories. He just needed something to kick-start her memory!

His Tama-logic never failed him, right?

Tamaki rushed out the door, calling upon a chauffeur to drive him to the hospital that Haruhi was in.

**Awhile Later**

Haruhi could've sworn that she heard something. Her body jolted upright in her bed so suddenly that she almost got whip-lash. She slowly looked around, scanning her room in the darkness. She almost jumped out of her skin. In the doorway, was a figure, and he was just standing there though she could see his shoulders heaving up and down as if he was breathing heavily.

"Who-?" she started, before the guy yelled out frantically, "HARUHIIIIII!" before flinging himself onto her.

"Wah- who? Get off me!" Haruhi yelled, trying to push the boy cloaked in darkness away from her. He then pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling any further protests from her.

"Shh…The other patients are sleeping," he whispered, despite the fact that he had been the one yelling in the first place. He started pulling her out of her bed. Too bad for him, she wasn't planning on leaving her comfort zone.

"No, let go of me," she whispered, "And if you don't then I'll scream and someone will come to get you out. It's after visiting hours and I get enough of you idiots when you come to bother me during the day!"

"But Haruhi, I have permission to be in here," Tamaki said, trying his best to speak in a soothing voice.

"No- I don't want to-"

He quieted her by pulling her against his chest and wrapping his arms around her. "Haruhi, I just want you to see something. I think it'll help you get your memory back. I just want to help…" he whispered. He could feel her nodding her head against him, but he couldn't feel the blush creeping upon her from the close proximity of their bodies.

She felt that he was serious enough for her to come with him. There was also something that lingered in her heart, urging her to trust him. So she walked quietly around the hospital with him, managing to get her some clothes.

"What the- Tono?"

Tamaki was closing her eyes, while Haruhi changed behind him. He was under oath that he wouldn't sneak a peek. But by the way that his face was reddened the twin wasn't sure that he had kept that promise.

At the sound of Kaoru's voice, Tamaki had lunged himself forward and covered the younger boy's eyes. "Don't look at Haruhi!"

"I'm already dressed," Haruhi said, walking up to the two of them. Somehow, they had ended up on the floor. "I thought you weren't bringing anyone with you?"

"I didn't…so…" Tamaki pointed an accusing finger at the Hitachiin, who was laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "What're you doing here?! Come to steal my dear Haruhi, perhaps? And where is the other doppelganger?!"

"_Your_ Haruhi?" Kaoru repeated, raising an eyebrow at Tamaki. "Last time I checked, she wasn't exactly owned by you. Gomen Tono, but, this time I've actually come alone." Kaoru spared him a sly smile before wrapping his arm around Haruhi's waist and pulling her closer. "You're right; I'm here to steal Haruhi…although, that does bring up the question of your motive for being here as well."

Tamaki's face immediately turned pink. He was busted! Not only that, but he was also very confused. Why would one of the Hitachiin twins want to copy his plan to kidnap Haruhi?

He shook his head to clear his head of those weird thoughts. "That isn't what's important! The point of the matter is that I must take Haruhi with me."

"Iie, I'm taking her with _me_," Kaoru said, glaring at Tamaki. He knew that his words could possibly fluster Tamaki, just according to his plans. "You know Tono, I could easily outsmart you. I bet I could walk out of this door with Haruhi in my hands, and you couldn't do anything about it."

By now, Tamaki was steaming, shaking his finger crazily ahead of him while his body turned into stone. He at least managed to say, "Y-you devious Hitachiin!"

"I haven't even done anything, and you're already flustered!" Kaoru laughed. Haruhi watched the scene before her. It was amusing in a weird type of way, though she had the vaguest ahead why.

"I…won't let you have Haruhi!" Tamaki wailed, throwing a tantrum by flinging his arms around in circles and jumping up and down while waterfall tears ran down his flawless face. Haruhi and Kaoru sweat dropped. 'What is he, four?'

"Fine," Tamaki said, his tone dying down drastically. "I suppose we'll have to work together." He nodded twice, as if agreeing with himself.

"Fine by me," Kaoru said, gently ushering Haruhi to the door. "First, we'll go by your plan. Then we'll execute the 'Make Hikaru Not Hate Haruhi Plan.'"

"Nani? Hikaru…hates Haruhi?" Tamaki asked.

Kaoru sighed, "It's a long story."

**At The Hitachiin Mansion**

Hikaru yelled into his pillow, venting out all his old and new anger. First off, he counted smugly in his mind; he had not only been rejected, but slapped as well. That had left him in an emotional slump for days. He hadn't been able to think of anything but the feeling of Haruhi's hand coming against his cheek. Hikaru wasn't even angry about it, he was more perplexed than anything. Why had she done that?

Secondly (and this was on his new list of things to be upset about) Kaoru was missing. The last time someone went missing (which was unfortunately Hikaru himself) he had gotten run over by a car! What would happen this time? Hikaru feared the answer.

He picked up his cell, quickly dialing Kaoru's number. 'You better answer Kaoru, or you'll have some explaining to do…' he thought.

"Hello?"

"Kaoru," Hikaru yelled into the phone, pleasantly shocked that his brother had answered.

"Geez, Hikaru. Calm down. What's up?" Kaoru said as if he hadn't snuck out of home in the middle of the night. Hikaru was practically seething.

"Where the hell are you Kaoru? You could've at least told me you were going to run away…then maybe I wouldn't have a heart attack."

Hikaru knew he shouldn't have been the one talking about running away, when he had actually done it before as well. But it didn't stop him from blasting off at Kaoru. When he had woken up and found that Kaoru wasn't at his side he had nearly flipped his lid.

Still, Kaoru's tone was smooth and patient, "I'm just going out for a ride. I'll be back soon."

Hikaru narrowed his eyes although he knew his brother couldn't see what he was doing. He also balled his hand into a tight fist as if he were preparing to punch someone's lights out. Heck, who knows? The next maid that popped into his room could definitely be in for it.

"Kaoru…where are you?" he asked, venom leaking through his voice.

He could hear Kaoru sigh and could imagine the younger twin closing his eyes, trying to hold down what he really wanted to say. Then Kaoru replied, "I'm with Tono."

"What? Why?" Hikaru asked, completely puzzled.

"Because we're kidnapping Haruhi," Kaoru basically whispered, though Hikaru could hear the little smirk in his voice before Kaoru hung up.

"What the- hello? Kaoru, you there?" Hikaru yelled. He groaned and slammed down the phone. 'What does he mean he's kidnapping Haruhi?'

Hikaru made up his mind that he was going to find out, even if it killed him. He just needed to figure out where Tamaki and Kaoru were taking her. First, he needed to call the faithful know-it-all himself, Kyouya.

Kyouya, of course, already knew that Haruhi was no longer in the hospital. Somehow, Hikaru wasn't very surprised by this. He wasn't surprised when Kyouya, Takashi and Honey showed up at his house a little after he had called Kyouya either. They had probably been on their way before he called.

"We seem to be having meetings in the middle of the night frequently these days," Kyouya muttered. He sighed, as if to say that he was getting pretty irritated with the events that were taking place. "Knowing Tamaki, he's probably got some 'bright' idea on how to make the situation work his own way."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hikaru asked as he took a seat in Kyouya's limo. Something about riding with Kyouya sent a shiver down his spine but there was no way to get out of it, especially since he was already in the vehicle. They pulled off as soon as he was comfortably seated.

"You'll find out soon enough,' Kyouya answered, his glasses glimmering as his window rolled up. Behind the glasses, his eyes were narrowing, a headache approaching him quickly. He made a quick mental note to find better friends. The ones he had were completely insane.

With that thought, he chuckled, thinking that he had to be insane as well to hand out with these people.

Takashi's driver had been given orders to follow Kyouya's limo, so neither Takashi nor Honey knew where they were headed. For all they knew, the Ootori could be kidnapping them. _That _was a scary thought indeed. At the moment, that crazy thought did not humor Takashi in the least. His mind was on one thing, and that was finding where in the world Tamaki and Kaoru was taking her off to.

Was Tamaki really as unwise as he made himself out to be? 'Why are we riding so slowly?' he thought, almost irritably as he sighed and closed his eyes. The more he tried to clear bad thoughts from his mind, the more horrible ones came in.

"Takashi?"

Takashi opened his eyes and looked down at Honey, who smiled weakly at him before saying, "I'm sure Haru-chan is alright. Tama-chan wouldn't hurt her."

"Un," Takashi agreed, knowing that Honey was right. Tamaki wouldn't hurt her, but that wouldn't stop him from doing something stupid. Sometimes Takashi just couldn't understand where Tamaki was coming from.

**With Tamaki, Kaoru and Haruhi**

'We have to recreate the night' Tamaki thought, looking out the window and pressing his hand against it as the alleys whizzed past. 'I'll recreate it to the best of my ability…and maybe Haruhi will remember what happened before then.'

He looked over to Haruhi, searching for a sign that she recognized her surroundings. Haruhi's eyes were glazed though, and Tamaki didn't know if that was a good sign or not. She sneezed, and both Tamaki and Kaoru jumped. The blond and the red head exchanged worried glances, thinking that it wasn't such a good idea to take Haruhi out of the hospital before she was completely well.

Unfortunately, they knew that there was no turning back now. They were too far into the plan to ruin it now. At least, no one could foil their plans.

That is, no one but the other hosts that was not too far away from them. They could definitely serve for a problem.

**Upcoming Chapter Preview: Tamaki wishes to recreate the moment for Haruhi. But the clock is ticking, with Hikaru, Kyouya, Takashi and Honey quickly tailing them. Will Tamaki's plan be thwarted, and will Hikaru still feel bitter towards Haruhi? Will Takashi ever be with his girl? Find out, in the future chapters of Lost But Found**

**A/N: Well, I really think I'm starting to rush these chapters. I'm trying to work on that, so please be patient with me in the upcoming chapters. And geez, plot bunnies are popping up like crazy! I have so many ideas for new fics and after I'm done with this one I'll be sure to write them. My next chaptered fic I've decided, will be a HikaHaru. **

**Please review and give me your feedback on this chapter! Your criticsm is appreciated as well, for I now noticed a lot of stuff wrong with my writing. That's not really a good thing but hey- I get positive reviews too! So thanks in advance my precious reviewers! Wow, that was long...**


	17. Fighting Gets Us Nowhere, Fast

**I won't be updating as frequently because I'm back in school. Yes, the horror of high school. I'm a sophomore this year though, yay me! But don't worry, even if I don't update as much I'm not giving up on this story. **

**I don't think there's going to be a lot more chapters though. I'm planning on twenty at the most, and an epilogue like chapter. Anways, enjoy!**

* * *

Takashi had been staring intently out of the window. Thinking was the only thing he could do at the moment, since the vehicle had not yet stopped and Honey didn't seem to be in a very talkative mood either. Even though Takashi was silent on his own behalf for the most part, he was still used to the loud antics of the hosts and Honey's usual cheery demeanor. But tonight seemed to be much different and it put him on edge.

The stoic teen didn't dare break the uncomfortable silence though. There was nothing he or anyone else could say until he was with Haruhi again, so that he would know that she was safe.

They felt the vehicle come to a stop, and Takashi looked out of the window. They had parked, of course, next to a sidewalk. He could tell they were no where near to any of the hosts' homes because the scenery was completely different. Everything was pretty much smaller and it seemed that everything was gloomier as if the buildings were old and ready to fall down at any moment.

He pushed open the door and got out of the limo. The thick air hit him immediately and swept through his clothes and hair. Takashi looked up at the thick dark clouds that were moving across the moon, and he knew that it would rain too; for it also smelt a lot like rain was approaching.

Brushing the upcoming change in weather and the dingy looking neighborhood from his thoughts, he turned and saw Hikaru and Kyouya coming towards him. Kyouya raised a finger and pointed in the direction in which he started to walk in, saying silently that they should follow him.

Takashi allowed Honey to climb onto his back and then started to follow behind Hikaru, who was following closely behind Kyouya. 'Where in the world is he taking us?' Hikaru was thinking.

Kyouya stopped abruptly, looking into a alley that Takashi hadn't noticed before. His eyes narrowed, and Hikaru moved in to get a closer look. Contrast to Kyouya's, the younger boy's eyes widened. His curiosity heightened, Takashi peeked over Hikaru's spiky hair.

He couldn't believe his eyes, mostly because he had no idea what was going on.

It seemed that Tamaki was pointing to a small box, and motioning for Haruhi to, what? Get inside of it? Takashi could feel Honey's grip on his shoulders tightening.

Kyouya backed away from the alley entrance. Hikaru stiffened, his eyes till watching Kaoru stand next to Haruhi, before following Hikaru and Takashi to a distance at which Tamaki or the others wouldn't be able to hear them at.

"What the-" Hikaru started loudly, then lowered his voice when he saw Kyouya's menacing gaze. "What the hell is that idiot doing this time?" he whispered harshly.

They looked to Kyouya as if the spectacled boy were the smartest teenager in the world (which might not be far from the truth). Surely, Kyouya knew the answer.

If Kyouya wasn't the high and mighty Ootori that he was, he would've gave a confused shrug at their intense gazes. Instead though, he said, "I believe that this time, I can not explain Tamaki's actions."

"Whatever he's doing, I'm getting Kaoru and getting the heck out of here," Hikaru said a little louder.

"I'm not stopping you," Kyouya replied, "But I do want to know why Tamaki would take Haruhi out here...just to show her a box."

In between this, Honey and Takashi observed. They could see on both sides. Hikaru wanted to simply get out of the situation completely, while Kyouya wanted to take time to observe. Takashi, on the other hand, disagreed with both of them. He simply wanted to get Haruhi and go home.

Hikaru gave a sound of annoyance before stalking back towards the alley. "Oi, Tono! What-" the young boy stopped in his tracks.

Haruhi was bending down and examining the box for herself. Tamaki was jumping up and down like an excited child and Kaoru was still in the same spot, looking very confused at the situation.

Suddenly Kaoru turned around and met eyes with Hikaru. The older twin suddenly felt glued to where he was standing. Something seemed different about his brother. He couldn't figure it out, but he seemed...older.

Then Kaoru smiled, almost cheerily.

"Oh! Hikaru," Tamaki exclaimed, running up to the younger host. Haruhi looked up and tilted her head to the side. When they looked at her, several hearts thumped against chests, especially Takashi's.

"What the hell is going on here, anyways?" Hikaru snapped, looking away from Haruhi to glare at Tamaki and then Kaoru. Not waiting for an answer, he walked up to Kaoru until they were face to face. "I woke up and you weren't even there, and when I call you you're halfway across Japan!"

He could see the nervous look in his younger brother's eyes. If Hikaru wasn't so angry he would've hugged his brother, so instead he settled for backing away so that they weren't forehead to forehead. "I...was worried. You know I would be nervous Kaoru." Hikaru said, quieter this time.

He could feel that all eyes were on him and Kaoru. Hikaru did not care. Though it was probably the first time that the hosts had ever seen Hikaru yell at Kaoru like that. Hikaru tried not to feel embarrassed. He wanted to keep his anger up. With the growing silence though, and Kaoru's pitiful expression, that was hard to do. He couldn't hold a grudge against Kaoru. But...his eyes wandered over to where Haruhi was now standing, looking intently at the confrontation...he could certainly hold a grudge at someone else.

"This is Haruhi's fault," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Now wait a second," Tamaki said, and stopped when Hikaru sent a glare his way.

"It's your fault too!" Hikaru accused. Tamaki's eyes widened. "If you hadn't have brought her home that day, then this wouldn't have even happened. I've had more arguments with Kaoru in these last couple of weeks than I've ever had with him before."

"How can you blame me for taking Haruhi in?" Tamaki asked, an angry look settling on his features and in his eyes. Even the color in his eyes were getting darker with emotion.

"Because now..." Hikaru said, now coming up close up to Tamaki and poking him hardly with his finger. "I don't want anything to do with her, you, or the entire Host Club for that matter!"

Kaoru, Honey, and Tamaki gasped. There was a strange flicker in Kyouya's glasses and Takashi stiffened.

"W-what're you saying?" Tamaki asked. The malice had shrunk from his voice, and he was himself again.

"I quit." Hikaru stated. His slanted eyes stayed on Tamaki as he let the meaning of his words sink into the blonde's head. Finally, Tamaki flipped out.

"WHAT? You can't!" Tamaki yelled.

"If it wasn't for this dumb host club, if it wasn't for meeting you, then I'd still be who I used to be!"

"That's exactly why the being a host is good!" Kaoru said, deciding that his brother was blowing things out of proportion. "If we had spent the rest of our lives-"

"At least I was happy back then." Hikaru cut Kaoru off, shoved his hands into his pocket and pushed past Tamaki.

"Hikaru, wait!" Kaoru yelled, running towards his brother.

"You can do whatever you want Kaoru. I'll be home," Hikaru replied as he walked out of the alley.

"I'm sorry," Kaoru said to Tamaki, then sent an apologetic glance to the Shadow King before chasing after Hikaru.

Tamaki hadn't even bothered to watch Hikaru leave. The only movement he had made was balling up his hands in a fist. "He's still selfish," he muttered, "The moment things don't go his way...or...the host club was a problem to begin with." His eyes wandered over to the remaining hosts, thoughts now flowing steadily through his mind. Could it be, that he was the selfish one in all of this?

Takashi felt a tug on his shirt, and looked down at his cousin. His eyes were sad, but Mitsukuni pulled no tear stunts. Takashi understood.

"This is getting out of hand," he could hear Kyouya say as he walked past him, and towards Tamaki. For once, even the Shadow King couldn't decipher all that was happening. One moment, things seemed to be...at least, close to normal.

People quitting clubs, probably friendships as well, was not normal in the least. Even for the Host Club, which could be defined as strange in itself, this was unheard of. This was murder to what they had worked so hard to achieve.

"Tamaki," Takashi said, his first word in awhile. He looked past Tamaki, at Haruhi and remembered what he had to do- even if a part of him didn't want to. "It's time."

Tamaki, still stunned from Hikaru's sudden abandonment of his club, did not answer. It had never really occurred to him that anyone could quite the club because he had never expected anyone to before.

"Tama-chan, you have to make your decision now," Honey prompted.

Tamaki nodded, and the three other people in the alley feared that he had reverted back to Robo-Tamaki.

Haruhi, who had also been quiet during the wild things that were going on, suddenly found Tamaki's hands on her shoulders and his eyes looking deeply into her own.

"Haruhi, you have to go back to your dad," he said, "But...I can't let you go knowing that you don't even remember all the fun times you had with us. Even though I was away for most of it, I still can't stand the thought of it. All memories, bad and good, should be remembered if they are important!"

"You can't ask her to remember Tamaki," Kyouya scolded lightly. He knew that his friend could quickly become desperate, but it was his duty to be logical since it was obvious that Tamaki couldn't do it on his own.

"I'm not asking her to," Tamaki replied, "But she has to."

Before Kyouya could respond to that, Haruhi spoke.

"I don't really know what's going on," she said. "In fact, I only have the vaguest idea. But...I'll try to remember."

Suddenly, a soft drizzle of rain poured over them all. Takashi knew that it looked like rain.

Meanwhile, the Hitachiin twins were still busy dealing with the matter in their own way. Hikaru was busy walking away from Kaoru as the younger twin tried to get him to calm down because this isn't what you want and you know that it's not anyone's fault!

"Hikaru, can't you just wait a second?"

"Hikaru, what're you so angry for?"

"Wait! Geez, do you want to loose me or what?"

"Hika-"

Kaoru stopped talking when his body came in contact with Hikaru's back. Hikaru had stopped walking. Kaoru was just glad that he hadn't stopped in a street.

"Everything seems like a trick," Hikaru said. "We were happy, weren't we? Then Haruhi came and changed everything. I felt a connection with someone new, someone who doesn't even go to school with us. But it was crushed when you liked her the same way. We couldn't handle it, even if we said we could."

He turned around and quickly pulled Kaoru into his arms. He didn't want to let Kaoru see him cry, he didn't want to be in the position that he felt as if he would cry.

"I felt horrible...when she slapped me," he whispered. "When she rejected me, Kaoru."

"I know," Kaoru said.

"It was never like this when it was just us," Hikaru replied as the rain came down on them, mixing with his tears.

Kaoru always thought he was the softer one, that he would be the one to break down in the heat of battle. He always imagined himself crying on Hikaru's shoulder. He never saw this coming.

He never wanted to.

* * *

Takashi stared out of the window of his mansion, thoughts racing through his mind. They (he and Haruhi, that is) were back at his home. It felt good when Tamaki agreed to allow Haruhi to come with him. He guessed it was only because the blond needed time to think over the day. Takashi could only hope that Tamaki wouldn't take Hikaru's actions and kill himself with it.

Takashi seriously doubted that Hikaru wouldn't return to being a host. At least, he prayed with all his might that he wouldn't. Despite how nervous Takashi felt when Hikaru was around Haruhi, he did still see Hikaru as his friend. If he was in trouble, he would surely come to help him out like the time that he had 'gone missing.' Still, this time he found he could only do what he normally did when dealing with the other hosts.

Sit. Wait. Watch.

These were the type of situations that they had to work out on their own.

In the meantime, he had other things to deal with. Haruhi was right behind him, laying in her bed. It was almost like the pleasant times they had shared before. He only wished that she could remember those times. 'Even so, she wouldn't feel the same way...' he thought.

It was rare for Takashi to think lowly of himself, but in this case he could make a slight exception. He knew that even if he had confessed back at the dance, that he would be rejected.

Still, he felt as if he were carrying a burden with him everyday.

"Haruhi, tea?" he asked as he walked past the bed and into the door way.

"No, thank you though," she said, shaking her head slightly. She was simply sitting in the bed, Indian-style. "Demo...Could you, um, close the curtains?"

Takashi blinked and looked back at the window. The rain was slowly increasing and the winds were starting blow further. He nodded and quickly moved to do as he was asked, silently scolding himself for almost forgetting that she was afraid of thunderstorms.

Knowing he had to do something to take her mind off of it, he scanned the room for an idea.

She bit her thumb nervously when lightening shone a bit through the curtains.

"Come with me," he said, something coming to his mind suddenly. They ventured downstairs until he stopped to ask a maid for what he was looking for. Immediately, her eyes widened and she rushed to retrieve it for him. Meanwhile, he led Haruhi down to the largest family room area with the largest television.

When the maid came with the item, he hooked it up and turned it on in a matter of minutes. He remembered getting the game years back, but Takashi wasn't one to play video games. The only time he had played it was because Honey had wanted to, and for some reason the miniature senior always loss the game.

He filed through the many game discs he had while Haruhi tried to peek over his shoulder. He playfully moved his body so that she could not see over him. There were plenty of video games related to zombie-shooting, ghost-hunting and man-slaying, but Takashi wanted to take Haruhi's mind off of being scared, not send her into pee-my-pants mode.

So he moved on to something different. The games that Honey had once brought over were still there. Honey's favorite game was the one in which you had to catch little pink bunnies by running all around a magical land. Takashi shook his head, this would not due either.

Finally, he came across the game that he had enjoyed the most. He hoped that it would suit Haruhi as well, because the rest of the games weren't exactly suited for either of them.

He put the game into the game system and it popped on a few seconds later. An opening song game on, introducing the characters and showing some of the scenes that the characters went through. After the song, display screen came on and Takashi handed Haruhi the second controller. He scrolled down to the character menu.

There, he explained to Haruhi that he would pick his character and then she would.

He selected the man with spiky brown hair and that carried a large sword that hung from his waist. After that, Takashi showed Haruhi how to choose her own character.

She scrolled through the list, Takashi eager to see who she would pick. Hearing the thunder sound from outside, Haruhi's body jumped slightly. "Concentrate on the game," he told her. She nodded and scrolled past a woman with a curvaceous body and blue eyes.

Finally, Haruhi settled on a boy with slick black hair pulled into a pony-tail and a sword smaller than Takashi's.

Takashi practically sweat dropped; he should've known that she wouldn't even pick someone of her own gender. He couldn't help but smile though. Her lack of gender awareness was cute in its own little way.

The screen rolled on and Takashi picked the setting in which their characters would fight. They were dropped into a world where they stood on a large square in the middle of the ocean. Like an island, the square made of stone simply floated on the water, daring their characters to drop in (or push each other in).

Numbers flashed on the screen.

1...

2...

3...

**FIGHT!!** was written in big red letters and oozed down the screen like blood. Takashi hoped that the game he had picked wasn't too scary for her.

An ultra-loud thunder echoed in the mansion. They could hear the rain pounding down relentlessly around them, the flashes of lightening every so often. At first Haruhi swam her eyes around nervously and her breathing started to increase. Any moment, it seemed that she would jump out of her sitting position and sprint halfway across town to find shelter from the rain.

But she did not.

"Did you cheat?" she asked, though her voice held no malice and only complete playfulness in it as her character dropped to the floor, dust surrounding him. The first couple of times they had played, she had won. Now it seemed as if Takashi was kicking her butt in less than three seconds.

"Team up," he suggested.

She smiled and nodded, and he changed the scenario so that instead of fighting against each other, they were teamed up so that they could defeat the possessed humans of the world and defeat the leader that was controlling them.

Getting better at the game, Haruhi flipped into the air and brought her sword down upon a blood-thirsty alien that was about to kill her friend. She sent a smile towards Takashi, and he returned it gratefully. Then they stiffened as an evil larger alien came into view.

"Go to the left," Takashi instructed her, as he made his own character go to the right. They were on opposite sides of the big green, slimy monster. This was the leader's right hand man. Haruhi drove her sword into the monster's side, while Takashi scaled up the large monster.

It shrieked and squirted green ooze from where Haruhi had cut it. Then it slashed at her, and her character went flying. Her life line flashed to one more coin, one more life.

Meanwhile, Takashi was avoiding also getting beaten by the monster. Never had he been so entranced into a game. He was always one not to let his mind escape into such pointless things. But it seemed that Haruhi was completely into it as well, so he decided that just this once he would allow himself this insane pleasure.

Because this time, he was with Haruhi.

They charged together at the thing in front of them, each with only one life left.

Unfortunately, it had recharged itself.

Suddenly, it let out its special attack.

Haruhi and Takashi sat there, their mouths open, both being in total shock. Blood oozed down the screen along with the taunting words, YOU LOSE!!

...

"Mori-san?"

"Hai?"

"...we almost won..."

"Ah..."

"We were so close."

"Un..."

"Could we...play again?" Haruhi asked, biting her lip nervously.

He paused, looking at her. She didn't seem embarrassed, but when she stared back up at him, searching his eyes for an answer he couldn't help but blush slightly. He. Never. Blushed. It was just knowing that she wanted to stay with him, that they could stay together forever if only the world would let them.

"Un," he said, letting a small smile come upon him.

They started the entire game over from the beginning.

She had completely forgotten about the rain, forgotten her fears and mastered the technique of just ignoring it. He didn't notice, but she was scarily content with also just staying there forever.

Then again, so was he.

**Preview for Next Chapter: Takashi is starting to feel closer and closer to Haruhi. But his time is running short because Kyouya is in search of Haruhi's father. Meanwhile, Hikaru completely avoids Tamaki and the rest of the host club. What will Tamaki do? **

**A/N: Well, I hope you liked this chapter. I had a dream that Mori and Haruhi would play video games so I hope you don't think it's too corny or anything. **


	18. Kaoru's Plan

**I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! My internet was down for a couple of days, even when I had finally finished this. I had to finish my other fic (Who Did It), my school projects are causing mayhem, and I'm also working on an original anime for YouTube. I'll tell you guys when it comes out (shameless advertising, I know). **

**So as you can see, I'm pretty busy and I hope you guys won't kill me. I'll try to update sooner but...yeah, not making any promises. I can feel the ending to this story brewing though! **

**Without further adieu (or of boring you guys to death) I present to you the next Chapter!**

* * *

Takashi sat up in his bed and opened his eyes so that they could adjust to the morning daylight. He had actually had a good night rest, despite all the commotion that had transpired the days before.

It had been a full week since the incident in the alley when Hikaru quit the club and Takashi had taken Haruhi into his home once more. While the days at school seemed to grow longer and longer, his hours with Haruhi seemed to get shorter each day.

It seemed that Kyouya was working especially hard to locate Haruhi's father. Takashi was glad that the when the Ootori put his mind to something, he wouldn't stop until it was achieved. This time though, he wished that just this once Kyouya would slow down on his searching.

But Takashi knew that that was a selfish thought so he could only sigh and find the energy to get himself out of bed. He was coming to know Haruhi's schedule fairly well, and if he was correct then Haruhi was probably making up her own bed just as he was. It excited Takashi to know that he and Haruhi woke up fairly around the same time each day. That was a warm thought that could also keep him going.

**Flashback**

_Takashi and Honey stepped into the Third Music Room. The first thing they noticed upon entering was how quiet it was. Usually the twins would be picking on Tamaki, laughing and making a ruckus. Of course Tamaki would respond with even louder protests and by perhaps throwing a fit. _

_There was none of that today._

_It was quite unnerving to see Kyouya being allowed to type diligently away on his laptop without any distractions to ignore or without having to add a comment to shut everyone up. What was even more frightening though, was seeing the state the Prince-type was in. _

_Tamaki was sitting in a windowsill of the room, somehow managing to sit upon the window so that he could cast his gloomy gaze outside. As if that wasn't enough, there was a dark rain cloud pouring bullets of water down upon Tamaki's head. His misery was also surrounded by a aura of dark purple haze that seemed to decorate his already melancholy mood. _

_"Um...Tama-chan, do you want to hold Usa-chan?" Honey asked, holding up the pink stuffed animal for Tamaki to take if he so chose. Upon getting no reply, Honey frowned slightly and lowered his favorite toy. "Kyo-chan, how long do you think it will be like this?"_

_Without bothering to look up from his laptop, Kyouya muttered, "He'll spring to life once the customers come in. Afterwards, he'll most likely revert back to the state he's in now."_

_"But what're we going to tell the twins' customers?" Honey pondered aloud. _

_"We'll tell them whatever they need to hear, of course," Kyouya replied, a smirk adorning his features. Apparently, he almost found this amusing. It was either that or the Ootori was finally being driven to the point of insanity. _

_Honey pouted slightly, and ran over to his cousin. Takashi wondered what could be going through Kyouya's head. Surely he was under a lot more stress than what he was leading onto. Then again, they had all been stressed for the last couple of weeks. Still, he wondered how Kyouya was really going to get Tamaki out of this one. _

**End Flashback**

Takashi frowned at his remembrance of the first day without the twins at the club. It had truly been a hard day without him. The air of playfulness seemed to be sucked dry from that day on.

"Ohayo Mori-san," that oh-so-familiar voice greeted kindly from the door.

Even though Takashi was saddened by the events, he still couldn't help but brighten when she was around. "Good morning," he greeted back, rising from his hunched over position to give her a small smile.

"I got up early to help in the kitchen this morning. They let me do most of the cooking," Haruhi said proudly while walking out of the room. He took this as an invitation to come to breakfast.

Even with her amnesia and such, Haruhi seemed healthier than ever. Though he could never be sure of what was really going on with her, she no longer showed any signs of being sick. Her skin was back to a vibrant cream tone. Her hair was no longer dull and sticky as it had been when she had been sent to the hospital. He also noticed that she seemed to have been gaining some weight.

When he would return from school, she would be bursting with energy. She would always be helping out the maids, busying herself in the kitchen, and (what Takashi loved) wearing an apron occasionally. He hadn't known that she took so much enjoyment in doing household chores.

So, he was glad to see her looking so well as he entered the morning dining area.

What he was even happier to see was breakfast.

He raised his eyebrows, taking in the scent of pancakes and orange juice. Takashi was quick to pull out her chair for her before she had the chance to do it herself.

"You made this?" he asked while sitting down himself.

"Some of it," she said, smiling, her eyes glistening over the food. "The chefs really did most of the work though."

"Ah, don't be silly Haruhi-san," a cheery male dressed in a white apron chuckled as he sat more dishes on the table. "You shouldn't be so modest. You are the real chef this time."

Takashi bit into a forkful of eggs, working the fluffy texture around in his mouth before swallowing. "It's good," he said, taking another bite.

"Arigato," Haruhi thanked quietly.

Meanwhile, the chefs, maids, and butlers were looking around the corner. "Master and Haruhi-san are so cute together, don't you think?" one young maid asked, blushing.

"Mm hmm! Mm Hmm!" the others responded, nodding their heads up and down.

Maybe it was just their imaginations, but they all could've sworn that there was some type of pink background with random flowers floating around the two teenagers who were enjoying breakfast. Somehow...it reminded them all of when Honey was eating sweets.

* * *

Hikaru rolled over lazily in his bed. He so did not want to go to school today. The red-head gave a confused blink when he noticed that something was missing.

'Where's Kaoru?' he wondered. Kaoru had been surprisingly cheerful all week, despite the fact that they were no longer participating in the host club. Hikaru had thought that his brother would pout about it and never let him live the day down.

But, Kaoru had been a little too cheerful. He had been so merry that he even seemed a bit out of character.

"Oi...Kaoru? Where are you?" Hikaru asked, slipping his legs out of his bed and rubbing his eyes. He finally got out of bed and through a shirt over his head before walking out into the hallway.

There was no school today, so Hikaru guessed that his brother had already gone down to breakfast.

"Ohayo, Hikaru!"

Hikaru jumped, startled by the sudden loud and cheery voice of his brother from behind him. Kaoru grinned and looped his arm into Hikaru's. "What the- Kaoru? What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked, looking into Hikaru's eyes with genuine concern. "Aren't we going to spend the day together?"

Hikaru stood there. Frozen to the spot as he watched Kaoru go on and on about what they would do, how many hours they would spend doing it, and going on and on and on.

"It's going to be fun, ne Hikaru?" Kaoru asked.

Hikaru nodded dumbly.

But from the time that they had walked out of the door and into the vehicle, Kaoru's whole mood and demeanor had changed. Drastically.

Kaoru slumped down in his chair, his slanted eyes looking out of the window while his chin rested in his hand. "I'm bored," he mumbled.

"Aren't you the one who had all those plans just now?" Hikaru asked. Kaoru's shrug for a reply prompted a bead of sweat to roll down Hikaru's head. "Fine, let's just go shopping."

'Shopping' wasn't really the right word for it. All of the Hitachiins' clothes were custom made for them, so they didn't really have to go shopping. Still, they sometimes found amusement in making fun of other clothes that could be bought.

As per usual, they got plenty of stares from girls as they walked along the shopping district. One girl even got enough courage to speak to them.

That's when Hikaru got a shock.

"U-um...excuse me," the girl said, a bright red blush painted on her cheeks. She could barely look up at the twins for more than a second before looking timidly back down. "M-my friends and I were wondering..." with this, she looked back to her friends in the background. They all had pretty determined looks on their faces. "Would you...spend the day with us?"

Before Hikaru could answer, Kaoru snorted and rolled his eyes. "Why would we want to hang around someone as ugly as you?"

Hikaru could practically see a giant arrow go through the poor girl's heart as globs of tears filled her hazel eyes. "N-nani?" she asked.

"You heard us," Kaoru continued, stepping closer to the girl and causing her to take a unconscious step backwards, only to end up falling on her behind. At that moment, Hikaru was painstakingly aware of how Kaoru used the word 'us' when it was just him doing all the talking. As if having the girl fall down, tears trailing down her cheeks wasn't enough, Kaoru continued his speech.

"Did you really think someone like us would stoop so low as to be with to someone like you?" he asked, an evil smirk slowly showing. "You're pathetic. You're just like everyone else, aren't you? You don't want to know us at all, do you?"

"Enough!" Her friends were suddenly by the girl's side and wiping her tears away. "That's enough!" one of them shouted. "It's fine that you don't like us, but you don't have to speak that way about us either."

Hikaru swallowed nervously. "Kaoru...let's go..." he said. But Kaoru was knee-deep into the ocean now. He wasn't going to stop.

"It's your own fault for thinking that you could try to distinguish between us!" Kaoru yelled.

"Like we could!" the girl shouted, "You're both jerks!"

Hikaru wanted to scream: How am I a jerk and I'm not even in the conversation?!

Still, he couldn't just let that girl talk to his brother like that, even if he was acting like a jerk.

"Kaoru isn't a jerk!" he found himself saying, all the while grabbing Kaoru roughly by his arm so that he couldn't pull away. "And why don't you all just go back to wherever you came from!"

With that, he tugged the resisting Kaoru all the way back to the limo. He shoved Kaoru inside before angrily telling the driver to take them back home.

"Hika-" Kaoru tried, but Hikaru sent him a menacing gaze. His golden eyes were boiling over with red fury.

"What. Was. That?" he asked, suddenly moving so close to Kaoru that the younger found that he had to push his back against the window if he wanted to have any sort of distance from Hikaru.

"What?" Kaoru asked. "What'd I do?"

"What did you do," Hikaru asked incredulously. "What do you think you did?!"

Kaoru shrugged, a nonchalant air suddenly about him when Hikaru moved back into his own seat. There was an eerie silence for awhile before Kaoru muttered, "You would've said it if I hadn't."

Hikaru wanted to explode. That, or he wanted to rip his brother's tongue out.

"What the hell, Kaoru! I wouldn't have said any of that. I was going to tell the girls that we couldn't hang, or...or something. I wasn't going to say she was ugly, or even curse her very existence!"

"Ch," Kaoru shrugged again, "She was an ugly girl though. That hairstyle really didn't suit her."

That's when it clicked.

That's when Hikaru realized what was happening. Kaoru had set him up. He had made him see something that he had never noticed before, something that he had totally forgotten about up until now.

Kaoru had been buttering Hikaru up all week, making Hikaru sensitive so that he wouldn't see it coming. He had basically blinded Hikaru with false-happiness.

When the time was right, Kaoru had sprung everything on him.

To make matters worse, it had worked.

Realizing that his brother was finally catching on, Kaoru smiled and muttered an, "Took you long enough."

Hikaru was still too shocked for words, so Kaoru said, "I was wondering when you were going to realize. I hope you're not angry...but I couldn't think of a better way to get you to see that if we were to go back to our old selves, we really wouldn't be any better off that we are now."

"Those girls..." Hikaru mumbled, now able to look at his brother.

"Paid actors," Kaoru grinned, displaying a thumbs-up and a wink. "Of course I wouldn't really insult someone like that now that I know it's wrong. Obviously, you also know that it's wrong too, don't you?"

"Then- why-"

"I wanted you to see that the host club has changed us for the better. Before, we were always bored, always unhappy because it was just us. We were one person, and one person can't survive on his own. People are made to be together, to socialize and have friends, Hikaru." Kaoru explained, closing his eyes as he spoke. "You had to see that the hard way. "

"Kaoru..." Hikaru said, his bangs covering his eyes.

WHACK!!

Kaoru winced and held his head. Hikaru had bopped him pretty good that time.

"That's for being a nuisance," Hikaru said dryly, despite his grin. "But...thanks...for being that way."

"No problem," Kaoru said, smiling.

* * *

Takashi sighed as he walked into the music room that next day. He hated that the scenery never seemed to change anymore. The only thing that changed was the location Tamaki would choose to sulk in. But that could only be counted as annoying.

Suddenly, the double-doors of the Third Music Room burst open. Tamaki's hazy eyes wandered up. Kyouya looked over to where the loud sound had come from and Takashi and Honey had also turned around.

"Oh...sorry...wrong room," a boy with freckles said. He mumbled on his way out, "Geez...what's with this humongous school?"

Their spirits ultimately crushed now, they all sullenly started the host club activities for the day. Though Tamaki was truly crushed on the inside, he did his best with his customers. They even commented on the melancholy look in his eyes, and he made up something about how he wanted to cry because he "couldn't always be with the fair maidens."

There was another time when the doors had swung open, but that time it was only two customers who were late for their appointments with their designated hosts.

Now that they all had had enough of false-hope for one day, it was time to go home. They said their farewells to their customers, and gathered their belongings to go, all except Tamaki who immediately went to his corner of woe. This routine of quiet cleaning up was also starting to melt into their hearts.

The silence was powerful, and it hurt more than anything.

Again, they heard the sound of the doors being swung open.

This time though, no one, not even Honey took the time to look up and see who it was at the door.

"And here we were thinking you'd be glad to see us," two voices said simultaneously.

Eyes snapped up, and quicker than anything the twins felt their bodies being crushed by the embrace of Honey. "Hika-chan! Kao-chan! I missed you!"

"Un," Takashi said from behind them. Their laughter was practically music to his ears. Maybe now they could finally get along with their lives...

"I suppose you two came here for a reason?" Kyouya said, holding his briefcase in one hand letting is glasses glimmer in the light. Though he would never admit it, he was also happy to see the twins. Maybe now Tamaki would stop calling to whine every day in the middle of the night!

"Of course, of course Kyouya-sempai," the twins said, identical grins on their faces.

"Good," Kyouya said, a sort of unusual smile on his face.

"Hey, is that Tono sulking in the background?" Hikaru asked, looking past Kyouya.

"What an idiot," Kaoru said. They both nodded and moved in for the kill.

"Baka Tono! Baka Tono!" they chanted. "Only idiots sulk in corners all the time."

"That..." Kaoru said. "Or perverts." Hikaru finished. They nodded again, deducing that this was what Tamaki really was.

"Hentai Tono! Pervert Tono!"

'Wait for it...' Hikaru thought... '1...2...3...'

"I AM NOT A PERVERT!" Tamaki suddenly yelled, rising to his feet with one quick jump. He pushed his index finger in their faces, "Don't call me such names you devil twins!"

Ah, they had finally gotten a rise out of him. That had been the greatest he had had for days.

"How could you just leave and come back so suddenly?! Aren't you even going to apologize? When did you just decide that you could do this? Kyouya was worried! We were losing profits. Your customers missed you! You..."

The twins shrugged, only adding to Tamaki's anger. "You yelled at me and blamed me and now-"

"You missed us right?" Hikaru asked smartly, stopping Tamaki's finger-wagging and feet-stomping with one sentence.

"Well we're back now," Kaoru said.

"So just be happy," they said.

Tamaki was frozen.

"Yeah! Let's just be happy now!" Honey cheered, bouncing up and hugging Tamaki. "Okay, Tama-chan?"

"..."

"Un," Takashi agreed.

"Hey! Earth to Tono!" the twins chorused.

"Y-you guys..." Tamaki said, teary eyed. Suddenly he pulled Honey, the twins, and even Takashi into a group hug. "Look Kyouya! The family is back! Come and join us!"

Kyouya smiled and turned so that his back was facing them. He pushed his glasses up and went step by step until he reached the door. "Well, I suppose I'll see everyone tomorrow..." he said.

That was as close as they got to Kyouya saying anything along the lines of, "I'm happy" or "Yes. I missed the twins as well." But thankfully, they all knew what he meant.

As he rode in his vehicle, to his home, his smile faded slowly. Yes, Kyouya was very happy that the twins were back. They were his friends, albeit his craziest friends, after all.

That's why he wished that happy moments could last. But he knew all too well that they couldn't, that they wouldn't.

That was exactly why he was planning one more happy occasion for the entire host club, and including Haruhi in it.

After that though- his frown deepened as his gray slate eyes closed in concentration- he would tell them his very important news.

* * *

**Chapter Preview: In the ever-changing seasons of Ouran, the hosts and Haruhi go to the beach! Can this be summer-love for Mori and Haruhi? How awkward can it get with Hikaru trying his best to apologize to Haruhi? What is Kyouya's "important news?"**

**A/N: Well, not a lot of MorixHaru in the chapter (sigh) Sorry about that everyone. I lost myself on this one, but it was still fun to write and I thought it was an important chapter. So I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! More MorixHaru is on the way though, so be happy! See you all next time!**


	19. Fun and Misery in The Sun

**Finally! An update, ne? And this story is almost 6 months old! That's half a year so I'm excited that I've stuck with this story. (cue applause) By the way, I can feel the ending brewing people! I hope you like my little MoriHaru moments! **

**Well, for once I don't have anything else to say...so enjoy!**

* * *

Haruhi's eye twitched as she examined her surroundings. Even with sandals on, the sand beneath her feet was invading the spaces in between her toes. The air smelt of salt and water. Birds flew overhead, flying into the bright golden sun that seemed to spread its light and warmth over the great waters of the beach.

Yes, this was the beach. Haruhi had no idea why she was here, of all places, especially considering that she had no recollection of going to a place such as this one before. She also had no clue as to why the scene placed before her was, for lack of words, _annoying_.

She watched as the twins took turns in smothering sun-tan lotion onto their skin. Of course, they had asked Haruhi to do it for them but she had bluntly rejected their 'kind offer to let her touch their skin.' There was also Kyouya, who was sitting on a tropical looking fold-out chair. While he did not make a show of it she could tell that in a way, he was also flaunting...whatever it is that Kyouya enjoys flaunting. While basking in the sun the spectacled boy easily crossed his legs over each other and let a smirk adorn his features. Haruhi could only wonder what was motivating him to show that creepy smirk.

Meanwhile, Tamaki was making a spectacle of himself, as per usual. Haruhi pondered why Tamaki was taking so long to run his fingers through his blond hair, which seemed to be shimmering and swaying under the golden sunlight and the slight breeze.

'At least Honey and Mori-san aren't being so...bishy.' Haruhi sweat-dropped. 'And now these idiots have me using stupid words like 'bishy...' I must be in the process of being converted.'

Honey laughed merrily as he skipped joyfully through the sand, Takashi not too far behind him. Though they also seemed completely cute and handsome (Honey being the aforementioned, of course) Haruhi did not find her eye twitching or her fist shaking at the sight of them. Actually, it gave her a comfortable feeling.

Haruhi frowned. She watched as Takashi knelt down to assist Honey in making his sandcastle. 'Why does it seem natural for me to enjoy watching Mori-san...but with everyone else I-'

"Ha-ru-hi!"

Her thoughts were cut off at the sound of two voices speaking simultaneously on both of her sides. "Nani?" she asked, turning her gaze from the stoic teenager in the sand to the identical twins next to her.

"Don't you want to come play with us?" Hikaru asked, leaning his elbow onto her shoulder.

"Yeah Haruhi, come on!" Kaoru urged, holding up his colorful beach ball for Haruhi to see.

"I'd really rather just...go sit in the sun," she answered, looking longingly at the empty spot right next to Kyouya.

"You can do that when it's time to dry off!" Hikaru and Kaoru whined, already tugging her arm and pulling her further out onto shore.

"But the sun would have gone down by then," Haruhi said, almost frantically.

Suddenly the twins stopped walking, causing her to nearly walk into Kaoru's back. "Eh?" she looked up at them, wondering if maybe this time they would let her skip out on their 'fun' and actually let her take a break.

"You know," Kaoru said, his back still to Haruhi, "We haven't really spent any real quality time together since you went to Honey-sempai's house...and the party definitely doesn't count."

"And...we wanted to make it up to you," Hikaru said. He gulped; not sure if he was swallowing nervous spit or his pride, "I...wanted to make it up to you, for how I acted."

"So come play with us!" they said, turning around so that she could see their bright smiles despite all of what they had said in sullen voices.

Haruhi's eyes widened slightly. A scene played so quickly through her mind that she could barely tell if it had actually been seen or not.

"_Hikaru, stop!" Haruhi pulled away._

"_Why don't you ever listen to me?" Hikaru yelled frantically._

"_Because you think you own me!"_

_Haruhi stopped struggling and Hikaru stared with his mouth open at her. Haruhi, realizing the words that she had said had probably been a major blow to the poor boy, instantly felt guilty. She hadn't even meant to say it! She didn't mean it at all._

"_Hikaru, I didn't mean that…not how you think," she tried her hardest to calm the heat of the mood down._

"_You meant it…" he muttered. "You've always hated me, haven't you Haruhi? You always liked everyone else better- you always-"_

_SLAP!!_

_Hikaru silently and slowly raised his hand to his bruised cheek._

Haruhi unconsciously lifted her hand and ran it through her hair. 'I slapped...Hikaru...' she realized, right at that moment.

Up until that point, she had believed (though she had always had her doubts) that she had met these boys at the hospital. She had taken the thought of knowing the boys beforehand, and thought that she they had been assigned to take care of her, or at least, she had known them just a little before then. Her twisted mentality had led her to believe this, but that was obviously not the case. 'Something...happened to me...even before I met the twins...or anyone else...'

"Hey! Earth to Haruhi!"

Muffled. The twins voices sounded muffled right now.

"When...when did we meet?" she asked, staring into their eyes intently.

"When?" Hikaru scratched his cheek, "A couple of months ago."

'Months? But...it's only been a couple of weeks since I was released from the hospital.' she thought.

"Hey...Haruhi...you okay?"

"I'm fine." she replied, nodding. Then she smiled and grabbed both of their hands. "I...think I understand now, a little more than I did before at least. So let's make today fun, okay?"

Both of them blushing, the twins only nodded. For once it seemed that they were at a lost for words.

And then, the moment was gone.

"Haaaruhi!"

Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi's eye twitched. As it seemed, it was back to the annoying part of coming to the beach.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki said again, maybe for emphasis, perhaps because he just liked her name so much. "Why are you just standing here? You're supposed to be having fun!"

"Actually, I _was_ having fun until I remembered your existence," Haruhi replied, pinching the back of his hand to get him off of her. In the blink of an eye, Tamaki was off, hugging his knees to his chest and playing with a seashell in the sand.

The twins, of course, had gotten a good laugh out of Haruhi's remark.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan!" Honey called, cupping his hands over his mouth to escalate the sound of his high pitched voice. "Takashi and I want to play with you!"

"Ah...right! I'm coming!" Haruhi called back.

"Wait Haruhi! What about us?" the twins asked.

"Hmm? Oh fine." Haruhi huffed. "Can't we all just play together?"

"Good idea," Honey said brightly. Haruhi blinked; for how long had he been standing right next to her? "Let's play volleyball!"

"Hai!" Hikaru, Kaoru, and (the refreshed) Tamaki agreed.

"Kyouya! You play too! This is a family event," Tamaki called, as all of the teenagers rushed off to where the water would come to crash against their knees.

Kyouya sighed. "I'd rather not..." he said beneath his breath, less Tamaki hear him and start to complain. Nonetheless he rose from his chair and slowly followed Tamaki out to the water.

After all, he suddenly did not mind it being called 'family' time.

"Look Takashi! The waves can push me back!" Honey yelled.

"Be careful," Takashi warned, just as the wave came in and pushed Honey back a few inches. Haruhi was standing beside Mori, smiling at the smaller senior's antics. He couldn't help but steal a look at her.

Even if it were for rather perverted thoughts, Takashi was actually happy that the twins (and Tamaki) had gotten Haruhi to wear a bathing suit. The bikini was light blue, with straps holding onto her neck that was a darker, royal blue.

She looked up, catching his gaze with a curious twinkle in her eyes. "Eh? Nani?" she asked, tilting her head to the side so that her wet hair slid a little on her forehead.

His eyes widened a bit, the only indication he was embarrassed by being caught staring at her. He did not blush. Or at least, he didn't think he was. "Nothing," he said, answering her question. His gaze shifted over to his pint sized cousin...or at least where his cousin _should have _been.

"Mitsukuni/Honey-san!" Takashi/Haruhi shouted, rushing over to the spot that Honey had last been seen in.

"Waaaaaaiiii! Takashi, I was washed away!"

Takashi blinked, turning over to where the familiar voice of Honey had come from. The blond was dripping wet as he slowly made his way over to Takashi and Haruhi, who both sighed in relief.

"Mitsukuni," Takashi replied, a bit sternly, frowning.

"Gomen ne Takashi...I went farther out and the current was stronger than I thought," Honey answered, all smiles and flowers.

"Ah..." Takashi hoisted Honey onto his shoulders, while Haruhi looked on in wonder. She couldn't help but smile as he walked past her to go back to the sand, where Honey's towel was waiting.

'He'd be a good dad' she thought. She could definitely see him watching over children one day. Slowly, her content smile faded 'Dad...'

"Haru-chan! Come on!" Honey called, waving his hands in the air to catch her attention.

Haruhi snapped from her reverie, once again nodding. "Coming!" she followed after them onto the sand and to get her towel.

Her gaze wandered over to Hikaru, Kaoru and Tamaki, who were all engaged in some type of sandcastle battle contest. She remembered that after their game of volley ball everyone had noticed Takashi and Honey's grand sandcastle and the big fuss that had been made over it...

_Hikaru and Kaoru, laughing (at Haruhi's expense) walked arm in arm on the beach. "Eh?" Hikaru blinked, feeling more sand than usual under his foot. _

"_Wait! Don't mess up my sandcastle!" Honey wailed, rushing over to his already dented sculpture. He dropped onto his knees in front of it and desperately tried to fix the part that had been broken. _

"_Gomen, gomen Honey-sempai," Hikaru said, both he and Kaoru bending down to examine the sand mountain. They stared at it momentarily before grinning and looking at each other. "Hey Kaoru...you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"_

"_I do believe so," Kaoru said, nodding. _

"_Oh, milord!" they both called, turning to Tamaki who was drying his wet hair off with a navy blue towel. _

"_Nani?" Tamaki called back. _

"_Aren't you interested in a game?" _

"_A game...?" Tamaki raised an eyebrow. "To participate in your devious plans isn't my greatest intention."_

"_Demo..." they said, sliding up to Tamaki's sides and leaning in to whisper in his ears, "This might impress Haruhi."_

_Tamaki's face reddened. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and asked seriously, "Why would you two help me impress Haruhi?" He looked over to where the girl was drying off her exposed stomach and his blush deepened. He suddenly wondered why he had let her wear such a revealing outfit in front of so many people..._

_The twins only shrugged in response to his question, smirking mischievously. "Can't we want to help our friend out, just this one time?"_

_Tamaki thought about it. That only took two seconds. "No."_

"_Exactly!" they said, slapping him roughly on his back. "When Haruhi sees your horrific sandcastle she'll come running to us!"_

"_Hmm..." Tamaki chuckled a bit before nodding. "You're on Hitachiin twins." _

That was how it started. Now Haruhi was finally left to herself, watching as the twins crafted a grand sandcastle, complete with a moat and flags sticking out of the top. Tamaki, on the other hand, seemed to have no skill at all in this field of beauty.

"Thirsty?" a deep voice asked, and Haruhi looked up and smiled at Takashi, who was offering her a glass of juice.

"Thanks," she said, taking the ice-cold beverage and sipping some of it. "It's good." She looked around as Takashi took a seat next to her. "Where's Honey-san?"

"There," he replied, pointing over next to Tamaki, where the little guy was trying his best to assist Tamaki in the contest.

Haruhi giggled, and Takashi looked over at her, raising his eyebrows.

"It's just that," Haruhi said, smiling, "Neither Tamaki or Honey is very good at this. I really don't believe that they have a chance against the twins."

"Ah..." Takashi smiled shortly.

"Takashi! Haru-chan!" Honey yelled, waving his hands frantically to get their attention. "Could you go find us some seashells? The biggest kind, okay?"

Takashi stood up. Haruhi followed after him along the beach, searching for the biggest seashells. The sun was now setting, casting its orange glow over the ocean. The wind was picking up also, as the night came near. Takashi and Haruhi walked side by side, like a pair, as if they had been doing this all of their lives.

Haruhi looked back, only to find that the companions on this trip to the beach looked like tiny dots in the distance.

"Ano...Mori-san?" Haruhi looked up at him. "We've wandered really far." She pointed out.

He looked back. He had actually noticed that a long time ago. Actually, it had been his plan. The farther they walked the longer it would take them to get back to the others. He looked down at her full bucket of shells, then down at his. He then realized that he had no reason to go any further out.

He started to walk back, her following behind him.

Haruhi found that she couldn't stop staring at him. There was something about him that was possessing her eyes to stare at his back so intently, and she didn't know what it was. Part of her didn't want to know what it was about him that seemed to make her so...comfortable.

But, being Haruhi, she simply called the feeling 'the comforts of friendship.'

Suddenly, her foot a rock and she was falling. Quickly, as if by instinct, Takashi swished around and grabbed her arm, pulled her up to his chest with his hands on her back. Her face pressed against his chest, she blushed a bit before slowly pulling back to look into his eyes.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yes..." she replied softly, backing up to stand up on her own. Her heart was beating wildly now, though she told herself that it was only because of the sudden fall. That's when he suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand in his own.

She did not object but she stared down at her small hand, engulfed in his larger one. Haruhi couldn't help herself; she smiled and giggled softly. She quickened her pace so that she could walk right beside him again, her pail swinging back and forth in her other hand beside her.

He looked down at her and smiled as well. "Haruhi..." he said, almost in a whisper. He stopped walked suddenly and his facial expression was soft but the smile disappeared into his passiveness again. "Do you remember now?"

Amazingly, she knew exactly what he was talking about. The times before she had woken up in the hospital, dazed and confused. But Takashi and the others had comforted her, making her feel as if nothing was wrong with her at all.

Yet she knew that there was much more to it than that. Her eyes widened a bit, suddenly feeling her heart race again, as if something was about to happen. She could feel his hand give squeeze her own gently, encouraging her, telling her that this was the right time to start remembering.

"I remember...a little..." she said quietly. "Not everything..."

"Ah," he said, and this time, because it was the only thing he could think of to say. It was taking everything he had to control himself now. The romantic setting wasn't helping in the least. Right now, he felt like leaning down so that he could meet his lips against hers. He couldn't stop staring at her soft, small lips.

He suddenly felt uncomfortable as he got a view on how Tamaki felt when the twins called him a pervert.

Takashi closed his eyes slowly, then opened them again and released her hand. 'I can't...' he thought miserably. 'No matter how much I want to...'

"Mori-san?"

"We should get back to Mitsukuni," he said, looking out into the distance, avoiding looking in her eyes.

"Mori-san, look at me."

He said nothing and did not look her way.

She frowned. Haruhi sighed and grabbed his hands and looked up at him. "It's okay Takashi."

He looked at her. She had actually called him by his first name- and it rolled off of her tongue so easily. She was still smiling, not even phased by it, not even blushing like some other girl would.

And he loved it.

He smiled back and wrapped his fingers around her little hand.

Haruhi didn't know quite herself what had made her say that. It had just slipped, or rather, it seemed like the perfect thing to say. She did not mind if he held her hand, though something was nagging her saying _If it were someone else then you would mind it for sure. _But once again, she was able to brush the nagging feeling away and just enjoyed the warmth of his hand wrapped around hers. For awhile, there was nothing else she had to think about other than the way the sun shone on the both of them, the water twinkling at their left. For a fleeting moment, she wished that it could always be this way, with just her and Takashi being together.

But as soon as that thought came it disappeared, for Haruhi did not bother to dwell on it.

And when the other hosts came into view, without a word they each let go of each other's hand.

"Haruhi! We were just about to go looking for you," Tamaki said immediately, running up to Haruhi.

"Tamaki-san, you really worry too much," she said, sighing.

"One can never worry too much!"

She looked over, and saw Honey grabbing Takashi's wrist and pulling the tall senior down to give him affection pats on the head. She looked the other way, and the twins were frowning, identical serious expressions on their faces. Haruhi wondered what had gotten them into such a bad mood, but didn't have much time to ponder over it when Honey spoke.

"Yay! Time for the finishing touches!" he said, grabbing Takashi and Haruhi's pail's and going back over to Tamaki's sandcastle. Tamaki smiled and went after the senior to help out.

"Our castle is finished, so come with us Haruhi," the twins, all of a sudden at her side, said and started pulling her away.

"But..." She looked back at Takashi, who was standing alone while watching Honey. He caught her eye and waved a short good-bye before looking back at his cousin. She sighed and now willingly walked along with the twins.

-

-

-

Takashi's eyes narrowed, thinking that maybe he shouldn't leave Haruhi alone with Hikaru. It seemed that the redhead always ended up hurting Haruhi in some way, and he didn't want to risk that again.

But how could he interrupt them without looking suspicious?

Or...did he _already _look suspicious enough?

-

-

-

They had her sitting in between her, on a cliff, looking out at the ocean. The sun had set, and now there was the moon, full, bright, and shining down upon them. For once there was total serenity when she was around the twins. But it was a bit unnerving that they were so quite, looking out at the silver that made the water shimmer so beautifully.

Hikaru was the first to speak. "You'd...rather be with Mori-sempai right now, right?"

Haruhi, for once taken aback, looked quite surprised by what he said. "Why would you say that?" she asked.

"Because you like him so much." Both of the boys answered.

"I like you guys too...even though you're so thickheaded," she added.

"Why don't you just admit it?" Hikaru asked evenly. There was no malice in his voice. He was not showing his hot-headed ways, his explosive temper. "You like him, don't you? Or have you not realized it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Haruhi," Kaoru said, "Don't you feel differently toward him than you feel toward us? Or anyone else?"

"No," Haruhi replied.

Kaoru laughed lightly. "You didn't even think about it."

"I don't need to," Haruhi shrugged, "I don't see anything to think about."

"Because you aren't trying," Hikaru sighed and bonked her on her head lightly. "Look Haruhi. You may not remember this...but you basically rejected each of us and Tamaki as well. I was angry about it at first but..." he looked back out at that full moon and took in another gulp of air. Why did saying things like this have to be so hard? "Kaoru and I have decided that...since we really do love you..."

"Even if it hurts," Kaoru picked up the conversation, seeing his brother was struggling. "Little Haru-chan should have what she wants, ne?"

"...I...see..." Haruhi replied slowly. "Thank you..." _I think..._

"So? Tell us the truth," Hikaru urged, giving her a gently nudge. "Stop holding out on us already."

"I...don't really know what love is," she explained, "All I know is that I feel...free...when I'm with Mori-san. I don't think that that counts as being in love with him though."

"Well then..."

"Haruhi."

The twins and Haruhi looked up to see Takashi standing above them, a sweater in his hand. The twins suddenly looked hardhearted again, their smiles disappearing in a flash.

Even though he noticed this, Takashi still bent down and handed Haruhi the sweater, saying a low, "It's cold" before rising back up again.

Hikaru sighed loudly, almost to the point of being obnoxious, and rested his chin in his hand. "You should go back down Haruhi."

She blinked and looked at him. Was he actually being...adult-like about the situation?

"Yeah, we'll head down in awhile." Kaoru agreed.

"A-alright then..." Haruhi said, standing up and walking over to Takashi. As she left, the boys watched her back until she was at a fair distance away.

"Mori-sempai..." Kaoru said, and Takashi looked down at him.

"Un," Takashi replied, and Kaoru smiled. Hikaru looked a bit less irritated and at least managed a little smile.

It was an unspoken agreement that the twins would no longer pursue Haruhi...

It seemed, that Takashi now had the upper-hand.

* * *

They ate watermelon and popped firecrackers for most of the rest of the night. Though it was late, it did not seem that anyone had any intention of going home. It was if they all thought that they could make the day longer if they just ignored the fact that time really was passing.

When all the commotion had calmed down it was finally decided that they should prepare themselves for the ride home. This was only after, of course, Tamaki had chased the twins around frantically. Honey had consumed a large amount of watermelon, worthy to be in a competition if there had been one. Kyouya had spent a lot of time just watching his friends, making his comments and sarcastic remarks here and there.

Takashi had done what he does best.

Watch after Honey, while still lingering around Haruhi and also keeping a watchful eye on her, just in case.

She had slipped on a simple pair of jeans to cover her legs since it had gotten cooler. Along with the sweater Takashi had given her, she was now back in her normal tomboy-like attire. Takashi smiled, thinking that she was beautiful either way and that it didn't matter much how she dressed as long as she was comfortable.

Of course now, riding home together in the silence of the night, the whole day seemed as if it had been years ago. All the fun, all of the friendship, it seemed to be all a blur.

Because now, they had a heavy burden upon their shoulders.

_As they wrapped up their blankets, their beach balls, and umbrellas, Kyouya stood there, watching. Suddenly, his stomach felt very tight and he almost felt weak. Why did he always have to be the bearer of bad news? Well, it wasn't really bad news. It just depended on the way you looked at it. _

_With that little thought comforting him, he stepped forward to the little group of friends, still laughing and joking with each other._

_He cleared his throat, and they all looked up at him. _

_His heart throbbed painfully for them. All of them. _

_He didn't want to tell them, not now...but there was no more time left. Ootori's were never afraid. So he had no reason to feel like this. Not frightened, threatened...or guilty. Guilty... 'Because I should have told them sooner.' he thought._

"_Kyouya?" Tamaki, his best friend, the one who always went crashing down, called his name, a hint of worry in his voice. _

_Kyouya put on his smile. It wasn't his host club smile, nor was it the smirk that constantly played upon his lips when there was a profit involved. No, it was his fake smile that he now used. _

"_I just thought that I should inform you of what's been happening with Haruhi's father, Ryoji-san," he said automatically, somehow feeling as if he were a machine. _

_There was silence as their smiles faded and they looked at him with intense gazes._

"_As I have mentioned before, I have located him. Now, it is possible that Haruhi can return to Ryoji-san in a matter of days when he is released from his current...residence." _

_The silence was thick, and it seemed to be swallowing them up one by one. Kyouya allowed the thick, almost smoky silence to remain there, and went to his car._

Haruhi's brown eyes swept over Takashi. He was staring intensely out of the window, but she knew that he wasn't really looking at anything. Something...had come over him.

She did wish with everything she had that she could just remember everything, her life from the beginning to the present right at that second. But no matter how much or how hardly she searched her mind, going into its deepest crevices, she could not remember her life before she met Takashi and the others.

That's why she wanted to go back to her father. She didn't have much recollection of him, but there was a slim chance that seeing him would allow her to jump start her memory. Obviously, this had all started with him.

Still, there was a nagging feeling tugging at her heart. There was apart of her that did not want to know what had happened to her, or who she really was. But that was selfish. For the sake of everyone that may know her, she had to go back.

So she wondered what was bothering Takashi and the others about her leaving. It wasn't as if she could never see them again, right? Surely her father would not be that type of person that he wouldn't let her see her friends.

Haruhi's eyes widened as she met the eyes of Takashi- full of something that she had never seen them hold before. That's when she knew.

_If you go back, it won' t be the same._

She reached over and touched his hand, a simple gesture, though it said so much.

_No. It won't be the same. It will be even better._

He smiled, nodded, and rubbed his thumb over her hand.

She stared in his eyes, feeling the unfamiliar feeling of her heart skipping a beat. She felt her face become warm, and she broke their gaze.

Takashi pulled his hand away.

She looked back at him, wondering why he had done so, wondering why she was feeling so strange. Haruhi looked out of her own window and was suddenly made aware that there was a soft drizzle making the window covered in little droplets of rain, slowly sliding down.

"Haruhi."

She looked up at the sound of her name.

"We're here," he told her.

"Oh...okay," she replied timidly.

There was something different in his voice. He sounded almost distant, not at all how he had sounded when they were walking together on the beach.

She wondered if she had somehow hurt his feelings, and was ready to apologize if she only knew what to apologize for.

When they were in the house and prepared for bed, Haruhi watched Takashi.

He was being distant alright, so much that it scared her.

She frowned, not liking this sudden change one bit.

Not. One. Bit.

* * *

**Upcoming Chapter Preview: As her feelings awaken slowly, Haruhi finds herself repeatedly swept away from the person that she wants to be by at this time. Meanwhile, Takashi is dealing with his own dilemma. And in the end, they will all know why Kyouya had warned them not to get attached. **

**A/N: I wanted to insight into Kyouya a little for some reason...hm...well, I can't really think of anything right now because of how late it is. So, as always, reviews are appreciated and thanks so much for all of the ones I've got so far! I've finally passed 100 reviews! **


	20. Heal My Broken Heart

**Konichiwa Minna-san! I haven't updated in almost a month, and I apologize for that. But I think that this chapter will make up for it. **

**This chapter includes a very romantic MoriHaru moment, and once you read it I think that you will like it. I'm taking this story to the end, as so a bit of things are really tying up some loose ends. The end of the chapter is a shocker especially! So hurry and read and give me your feedback on it, arigato!**

**And so...I present to the the twentieth chapter of Lost But Found**

**~Heal My Broken Heart~**

_

* * *

_

_The pitter-patter of the rain echoed off of the sidewalk. She was running, running, running. Unfortunately, this girl had no direction. She did not know where she was going, nor did she know why she was running in the first place. It was very confusing, very tiring. _

_"Haruhi!" _

_"No! Let go of me!"_

_"Haruhi, please!"_

_"NO!" _

_She snatched away. His face has been a complete blur. She thought the voice was familiar, but she was so scared that she didn't stop to check twice. _

_The only thing that made sense right now was running because that would get her away, far, far, away. _

_Her head was pounding as she stopped to get a breather. Her chest was burning, her throat dry, her entire body in complete pain. _

_She looked up, her eyes scanning a place where it would be safe._

_The solitude of an alley._

Haruhi's eyes flickered open. She sat up slowly. It seemed that her early-morning headaches were returning. 'So are those weird dreams...' she thought.

She sighed and hugged her knees to her chest. After the beach events of the night before, Kyouya's announcement, and Takashi's sudden distant attitude, she wasn't really in the mood to get out of bed at the moment. Though, she knew that that would mean that she was just running away from things.

Haruhi would rather face her problems head on.

With that in mind, she slid out of bed, corrected the sheets perfectly, and went out of the room and into her private bathroom.

She looked into the mirror. Haruhi was half way surprised at her reflection. Again, she was reminded how unconscious she was about her looks. She did not consider herself unattractive. But when she had first met Takashi and the others those months ago...she hadn't looked like this.

Her hair had lengthened out. Now, it was laying gently on her shoulders. She had thickened out a bit, though it wasn't all too noticeable if you only took a short glance at her. Her brown doe eyes were sparkling brilliantly.

Haruhi gave a small smile before her natural instincts took over again. She pulled her hair into a pony-tail, slipped on some shorts that stopped at her knees, stuck her head through a plain t-shirt that read Not Just A Pretty Face and went on to go down the stairs.

It was Sunday, so the house wasn't as busy as it usually was. Haruhi knew exactly where she was going now, so there was no need to bother anyone.

Once she made it to her destination, she saw just what she expected. Takashi was having his morning kendo practice. Dressed in his traditional outfit, wielding his weapon in his hand, he gracefully sliced through a stack of hay.

She was still by the door, so he couldn't see her, or he just didn't find it necessary to acknowledge her at this point. Nonetheless, she watched on when he wiped the sweat from his brow and took a drink of water.

And there it was.

That unfamiliar quickening of her heart beat.

'What's...wrong with me?' she wondered, biting her lip and looking away from the man that was supposedly causing these emotions. When she gathered the courage to look at him again...he was standing right in front of her.

"Eh- M-Mori-san," she blinked and stepped back.

He didn't say anything for a moment, creating an uncomfortable silence in which Haruhi stared into his eyes. They weren't twinkling as they normally was.

"Good morning." He finally said, and walked past her.

'Was...that long silence...the time he took figuring out...' She watched his back as he left. 'If he should greet me?'

Haruhi could almost laugh at herself. In fact, she followed him with a smile plastered on her face. Whether she was in denial or not, she refused to believe that there was something wrong with her. She wanted to convince herself that there was nothing wrong. She just had to prove it.

"Mori-san?" she asked, looking up at him.

He looked down at her, but did not say anything.

Strike one.

"Would you...like to do something today?"

"...I can't." he answered.

Strike two.

"Oh. I see," she replied. 'Should I push him?' She swallowed hard. "Could I ask you another question?"

"..." Takashi looked down at her. He sipped his water again. "...Yeah...." he finally answered.

"Then, can I ask, what do you have to do today?"

He didn't answer. He wasn't looking at her.

Strike three.

"It's alright. You don't have to answer." Haruhi said. Her voice was tight, though she was trying her best to stay calm. Still, the anger was bubbling in her stomach. She walked away then, mostly because she didn't want to lash out.

'Calm down Haruhi. You shouldn't care so much anyways' she thought bitterly. Haruhi did not know why this was bothering her so much. She figured that Takashi was acting the way he was because she would be leaving him soon. 'But if that's the case then we really should spend some time together...'

Haruhi stopped walking. Her eyes were suddenly met with dazzling blue ones.

The gentleman standing in the middle of the hallway, his hands stuffed into his pockets, his face that of an almost childish expression, was Tamaki. Upon seeing her, his face brightened with his smile.

"Haruhi!" he cheerfully cried, suddenly meeting her in an embrace full of his affection.

"T-Tamaki-san?" came Haruhi's muffled response. She pushed him back and looked up at him, tilting her head to the side. "What're you doing here?"

Tamaki felt his face flush and he stepped back, cleared his throat, then smiled again. "We're going to spend the day together! You want to, don't you?" He leaned down and stared at her. He was obviously pleading. "We can have so much fun together! I hear that the commoners are having an event today! We could eat candy apples and- you...want to go, right?"

Haruhi frowned and looked behind her, half way expecting Takashi to be there. Of course, he wasn't. Somehow, that bothered her. Again. She sighed, suddenly feeling defeated but not really wanting to admit it.

"Sure. I'll go with you," she said, prompting Tamaki to jump with joy from happiness.

-

-

-

Takashi's eyes narrowed as he watched the shiny black limo that he knew belonged to Tamaki drive off. Haruhi hadn't even said goodbye to him. Then again, he couldn't blame her.

He let the silky curtains fall from his hand and turned back around. There was nothing he could do if Haruhi wanted to spend the day with Tamaki. After all, he reminded himself, he had purposefully pushed her away this morning.

The last thing he wanted to ruin his and Haruhi's friendship. But it seemed that the only way to keep his feelings at bay was if he kept his distance from her. This was all for the sake of not hurting her because he just knew that she didn't have romantic feelings for him.

But the price to pay was hard.

By keeping from hurting Haruhi, he was actually hurting himself. From where he was standing, this self-inflicted pain was the equivalent to slicing his arm off with his own blade.

It hurt like hell.

* * *

"There they are," Hikaru whispered, handing the pair of binoculars over to his brother.

Kaoru took the binoculars and looked through them. Really, there was no need for them. But the binoculars did seem right for the occasion and so of course the Hitachiin twins brought them along.

After confirming that the targets were in a close proximity, Kaoru nodded and handed the binoculars over to the third member in their party.

That's right. It wasn't just the twins.

"Oh! I see them!" Honey said, his caramel colored eyes twinkling in delight. He then looked over to the twins, a sort of mischievous smile that played off of his innocent face making him seem more devilish than child-like. "Can we do it now?"

"Not yet," the twins told him. "Subtlety is the way to go in this situation, ne?"

"Oh, right, right!" Honey agreed, nodding his little head up and down.

So they followed into the karaoke bar after Tamaki and Haruhi. At first they took delight in the way the little bell that was above the doors chimed when they entered, the smell of various drinks mixing in with the aroma of cakes and finger foods. They looked up and saw a couple singing their hearts out on the platform. The twins and Honey were completely captivated by the scenery for awhile, and just stood there taking it all in.

Soon though, they unconsciously slipped into a booth that was not too far away from Tamaki and Haruhi. Tamaki looked just as excited as they felt...and Haruhi....she simply sipped at her drink and did not mind the features of this karaoke bar. Really, she looked quite annoyed at first.

That is, until she spotted Hikaru, Kaoru and Honey.

Then she looked completely horrified.

The trio of spies ducked under their menus. "Do you think she saw us Kao-chan?" Honey asked.

"I...think so..." Kaoru answered.

They all took the chance to peep over their menus again. It wasn't surprising that Haruhi was still looking over at them. They sweat dropped and hid behind their menus again.

"Oh! Haruhi! Let's go up and sing together," Tamaki suggested.

Haruhi turned her attention back to Tamaki. She silently hoped that the twins and Honey weren't here to do something stupid. If that was the case, she'd really rather leave now.

"I'd...rather not..." she admitted. Besides the fact that she didn't have much of a singing voice, she knew that she would be too embarrassed to go up there with Tamaki of all people.

"But Ha-ru-hi! This is an experience that we're supposed to share together. How will we make memories if you don't participate?" Tamaki questioned, his whiney tone failing to break Haruhi's cold heart.

But, instead of replying bluntly to his question and sending him off to the corner of woe, Haruhi simply replied, "You could go up there, and I could watch you."

Tamaki seemed satisfied by this suggestion and immediately moved to take his spot on the stage. Haruhi took another sip of her soft drink and stared off into space while Tamaki was occupied with getting in line to sing.

'Why do I feel so...distant towards Tamaki-san? He's not being as bothersome as usual but...something isn't right.' she thought. The ice clinked against the glass that held it. Suddenly, Haruhi felt as if she was lost in her own mind. She had not done this on purpose nor had she wished for it to happen. But for some reason, at that moment, a memory came springing into her mind.

The noise of the karaoke faded from her hearing until it was completely wiped out.

Her vision, which had been concentrated on the ice in her glass, blurred and suddenly came back in.

She was no longer in the karaoke bar. Tamaki was no longer in line, the twins and Honey weren't spying on her, and people were no longer surrounding her.

Haruhi was now standing by a fountain. But in front of her was herself. It was as if she was watching her life through her own eyes. And it was not just herself that she was watching- she was also Tamaki.

_"I…I remember when we first met," Tamaki said, "I felt weird. I…I thought you were male, and so I felt uncomfortable. Yet the moment I realized that your were a female I felt completely out of it! Like I was living in a dream-world!"_

_He stood up, stretched his arms out far, then brought his hand down on Haruhi's shoulders and looked into her eyes, searching for the sparkle that would mimic the one he felt in his heart._

Haruhi's heart beat fast. What in the world was she witnessing? There was a foreboding sense in her stomach, and she instinctively took a step backwards, preparing for whatever was coming next.

_"I wanted to give you everything I could to make you happy! I also…wanted an answer to why I feel the way I do. The answer was that you were my daughter. But now-"he felt his spirits dropping down to a tremendous low when he noticed the fear in her eyes. "Haruhi…do you understand?"_

_"Tamaki-san, what are you saying?"_

Haruhi closed her eyes, suddenly remembering what Tamaki was going to say before he had the chance to say it.

_"I love you Haruhi. I love you. I love you," he almost shouted. It felt good to finally get what had been on his chest clear out in the open! He released her shoulders and twirled around. When he was able to calm down he stopped and looked at her. "So…I need to know…"_

"No..." Haruhi mumbled. She shook her head. She had seen enough. Not only had she slapped and rejected Hikaru, but she had also rejected and humiliated Tamaki. When she opened her eyes again, she saw her glass of juice staring back up at her. The sounds of the karaoke rushed back to her ears, her sight once again took in the people surrounding her.

"Hi-ya Haru-chan!"

Ah. She was back.

The small senior wrapped his arms around her neck in an affectionate embrace.

Haruhi swallowed and did her best to seem like nothing was wrong with her- though Tamaki's "I love you" was still swarming around in her head. She smiled wryly and mumbled, "hi" in a voice she did not recognize.

"You were zoning out Haruhi," the twins told her, simultaneously pulling out chairs and sitting down at the table.

"And you guys were spying on me." She shot back.

They only shrugged in reply.

"Oh! Look! It's Tama-chan's turn!" Honey said, pointing to the blond holding the microphone and looking, for all her was worth, like the new pop-star in town.

When the music played, they half way expected a beautiful voice to fill the room, everyone going silent, and then going crazy for Tamaki's voice.

Of course, that did not happen.

Tamaki sang- but one may not call it singing.

"He...should stick to piano," the twins said, beads of sweat rolling down their heads along with Honey's and Haruhi's.

Haruhi perked up then, turning her attention back to the twins. "Tamaki-san plays the piano?"

"Poor, poor Haru-chan," Kaoru smiled mischievously, planting his head in his hands.

"She really doesn't know much about the host club, does she?" Hikaru finished.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not right here." Haruhi stated lowly.

"It's true though, isn't it Haru-chan?" Honey said innocently, despite the sting that followed his words. "Even if you've lived with all of us, did you really take the time to get to know us like we all took the time to know you?" Honey's eyes glistened with wisdom, and suddenly all of Haruhi's suspicion about his true age faded away. She also felt very uncomfortable. Why was were they all of a suddenly grilling her?

She glanced back up at Tamaki, who was singing his heart out and looking directly at her. A small blush seemed to redden his face a bit, though before, Haruhi would've told herself that this was because he was trying so hardly to sound good while singing. Now...another thought was in her mind.

It was because he still loved her.

It was because this was his form of satisfaction, where they went on a date without actually dating.

All because she had rejected him. While, the reason for her rejection, was because she didn't really know him.

She bit her lip and looked back down at that oh-so-interesting glass.

"Hey, Earth to Haruhi," Hikaru said, waving his hand playfully in front of her face.

'Hikaru and Tamaki...' she thought. She looked to Honey. Looking at him did not make her feel a rush of guiltiness like she did when she had looked at Hikaru and Tamaki. But she did feel a little...sad. It was if he knew something that she didn't, causing them both to feel a growing sorrow.

She chanced to look at Kaoru. He was smiling at her, and usually she would believe that smile to be true. Now she saw something different. His smile was completely fake. It hid the tears that threatened to form. Again, she looked at Hikaru.

He was hiding...anger...

Anger at her? Anger at himself?

She was looking at all of them in totally different ways now. It did not bother her to have this new sense of knowing, though it did bother her to know that she had never bothered to really look at these boys who she selfishly called her friends. Now, she knew who they really were. They were all damaged in some way and she had been oblivious to it up until now.

"I'm sorry..." she said finally.

The twins and Honey did not look surprised.

"I should've known that you guys were hurting," she continued. "I should've paid attention to the finer details..."

"She's so cute!" they all said, suddenly snuggling up against her.

"It's alright Haru-chan! There was no way you could've known," Honey assured her.

"She's a passionate heroine, ne Kaoru?" Hikaru smiled.

"Of course! Only the best is seen in our play-toy." Kaoru mimicked his smile.

"You horrible twins," came an angry voice from behind them. "How dare you steal Haruhi away from my karaoke time?!"

"Like anyone would want to hear you sing..." the twins replied.

"What did you say?!"

And they were off. Haruhi took in a breath when the twins squeezing arms left her and they were chased around the establishment by an enraged Tamaki. She watched them, a small smile on her lips. This was what they enjoyed doing. They loved to tease Tamaki because they liked and looked up to him so much. Mischief was their way of showing they cared.

"It's like a whole new way of seeing things, huh?" Honey said.

Haruhi looked down at him, "You're right." She replied. "I see them in a whole new way, without even a reason as to why this happened."

Honey beamed at her. "That's because you're now a true friend Haru-chan! If you can see their flaws and discomforts and still love them like this then it's the only explanation, ne?"

Haruhi nodded, taking in this information slowly.

"So, you know what's next, right?" Honey asked.

She raised her eyebrows, "Honey-san?"

Honey smiled again, leaned back in his char. "Don't worry Haru-chan! It'll be scary at first, but then you'll be happy. But you have to hurry and do your thinking fast. They aren't really the easiest people to analyze though."

Haruhi would've sweat dropped at Honey using the word "analyze." Really, she hadn't known it was in his vocabulary. But what he had said was true, and she knew exactly what he meant.

Her unspoken mission was to look at Kyouya...and Takashi...in a way that she hadn't seen them before.

"Arigato, Honey-san."

"Do your best, Haru-chan."

* * *

It was late when she got home, and Haruhi had to say, she was actually quite eager to see Takashi. She had had fun for the rest of the day with the twins, Tamaki, and Honey. It was like Christmastime when you rush to get to every single present. They had all been great treats. And now when you finally opened your presents, and was down to the final one, which was the biggest of all and you had secretly been saving it for last because you just know it's going to be the best.

Takashi was that last gift.

She found him after awhile. He was in his room, laying down but not really asleep. It seemed strange that he was not in motion- though it was not rare for him to be idle.

"Hello Mori-san." she greeted.

He looked up at her, "Hello."

She couldn't help but smile. Even when he was trying to be distant she could see right through him. He wanted her company. She found...that she wasn't angry at him for practically ignoring her.

Haruhi sighed and sat next to him on his bed. "You know Mori-san, it won't work."

He looked up at her. Her hair was tied back in a pony-tail, her bangs hanging cutely in her eyes. She looked older. Not that he had a problem with that, of course. Takashi quickly looked away again, knowing that his feelings were about to overtake him again.

He couldn't talk to her because that would give him that warm feeling. He couldn't touch her because that always sent him into a dream-like state where nothing else mattered.

Then she did something that he had never expected. It was not rash or extremely passionate, though it did serve a purpose.

She leaned down and kissed him on his forehead, then looked into his eyes.

With that act, all of her feelings were suddenly known. Now she could see him, and she could see herself as well. The reasons she always felt flustered when they were alone, yet strangely happy and felt as if she were floating on a cloud somewhere.

This was not how she felt when she looked at Tamaki or Hikaru, Kaoru or Honey.

She was not filled with sorrow from her guilty conscious, nor was she completely at ease.

Though she did not know what this feeling was exactly, nor did she have a proper name for it, she knew it was something different between her and Takashi.

"I don't mind Takashi." she said.

Their hearts both started to quicken the beat. Their minds came to a complete blank as the inevitable happened.

Neither of them knew who took the initiative to start it nor did they care very much.

All they knew was that it was happening, and it was oh-so-sweet.

Slowly, their lips met. They shared in a simple kiss that made their hearts flutter and their faces redden. It was quick and easy, not full of lust and want but full of love and memories that they had shared for these past few months, though now it seemed much more longer.

When they separated they said nothing for the longest time. Of course, she knew that he probably would've start off a full blown conversation but she was nervous about saying something also.

"Taka-" There was no chance for her to say his full name. The moment she had uttered a syllable he pulled her close to him, her head resting on his chest while she was basically seated in his lap.

"Haruhi..." he said, the scent of her hair filling him and her warm body pressed up against her making him want to hold her closer.

She looked up at him, urging him to say what he wanted to say.

It was hard though. He had held it in for so long that it was strange to actually say the words. The closest he had gotten before was when she was unconscious.

Nonetheless, he found the words escaping from his mouth.

"I love you." He said, holding her, being with her.

For once, Haruhi was certain of her feelings. They had not shot her in the leg like she had expected her to because they were always there, buried deeply within her and locked in a box that she hadn't opened until today.

"I love you too," she replied easily.

Their second kiss was more passionate than the first. Their thoughts and feelings that had been realized and released were off of their shoulders now so that the restraints were taken off as well.

He kissed her with an assertive gentleness and she practically melted into his arms while they lay down on the bed and expressed their love for each other.

* * *

It was late at night when Kyouya had come to pick Haruhi up. It was unspoken that Takashi would ride with them, and upon getting into the limo, they saw that the whole gang was here for the ride.

Haruhi did not mind the stares that she got from the twins or anyone else. They could all see that Takashi and Haruhi's relationship had gone to the next step. There was something distinctively obvious about it.

Though, Tamaki did not grasp onto this as well as everyone else did.

He chattered away as a way to calm his nervous self- he still wasn't too fond of the idea of Haruhi returning to her father. Something made him look down at Haruhi hands though. To his surprise, her hand was being held by Mori's.

There was silence for awhile.

Honey swung his feet back and forth, occasionally sending a congratulatory smile Haruhi and Takashi's way.

Hikaru placed his hand into Kaoru's. They squeezed each other's hand for support, then displayed grins.

Kyouya seemed impassive to all of this as if he really didn't care that Takashi and Haruhi were really together. But, with her newfound power, Haruhi could tell that it really was bothering him slightly, though he wasn't letting it consume him like his best friend.

Tamaki gaped at their hands entwined in each other's for the longest time before regaining his posture, sitting up straight like the great man he was, and looking Takashi directly in his eyes.

"Take care of Haruhi." Tamaki said.

"I will," Takashi replied firmly.

It was then that Tamaki extended his hand out, and Takashi took it. This may have been the first time they had had direct contact with each other as they silently shook hands.

Their hands fell slowly, and Haruhi had a rush of happiness then. She got up and gave Tamaki a piece of his own medicine. She hugged him with all of her strength, and he hugged her back.

"I still love you Haruhi. I always will," Tamaki said, "But, if it's Mori-sempai that you choose then I can do nothing but be happy for you."

"Arigato," she whispered, suddenly tears popping up in her eyes from so much emotions.

"Us too," the twins said, Hikaru looking away, and Kaoru looking at her. "We'll be happy for your sake too."

"Me too!" Honey piped up.

"I suppose I have no reason not to be happy," Kyouya said.

She looked back at Takashi. He smiled that smile that she loved so much.

"Thank you everyone," she said.

Though she did not really need their permission to do what she wanted to do, Haruhi somehow felt better that she did have everyone's blessing on the matter.

She sat again with Takashi, and the ride soon filled with conversation as if nothing had changed. They chatted until they pulled up at an apartment.

They all climbed to the third floor, Kyouya holding the paper with the address in his hands. They knocked three times before the door swung open.

A man with red locks and a light beard searched the crowd of teenagers before his eyes landed on Haruhi.

"HARUHI!" he screeched, and the wind was knocked out of her before she could comprehend what was happening. His strong embrace seemed to last hours while he sobbed pathetically. He was saying things that she could barely hear over his weeping.

The host club stood there awkwardly.

Then, another person stood in the doorway. His short two-toned, brown hair was ruffled a bit by the wind. His eyes widened in recognition when he saw who Ranka was smothering. "Haruhi?"

Every single host club member froze.

Haruhi looked up. He looked familiar...he...was the one from his dream. What his name was Haruhi pondered upon.

Ranka finally released her and looked up at the boy, then back at Haruhi. "Haruhi, you should remember Arai-kun, right?" He smiled despite the tears that were wetting his cheeks.

"Haruhi..." Arai said again. He smile gently at her and leaned down so that they were face to face. He laughed lightly and said, "Maybe this will jump-start your memory."

He put his hand on the back of her head, slowly and carefully, he pulled her in until their lips met.

Arai kissed her, and in that moment, Takashi had never felt so enraged.

* * *

**Chapter Preview: The story of what happened to Haruhi is revealed! And what will Takashi and Haruhi do with Arai? **

**A/N: Ha! You can decide if Haruhi and Takashi made love or not. Use your imaginations for whatever suits you! Heh, Just when you thought I was going to be nice, I drag you all back into my evil ways again! I worked hard on this chapter though, so I look forward to your reviews. Stone me if you like, but Arai makes the story more interesting! **


	21. Do You See The Moon?

**READ THIS PLEASE! **Firstly, I have to say that your reviews really helped me get through this. Once again, I did not feel like writing another chapter but when I looked at your enthusiactic reviews I finally finished this chapter.

2) I need your opinions. The next chapter will most likely be the last and if you want me to clear something up or have any suggestions that you would like to see in the next chapter then please tell me.

3) **THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!** Was Haruhi's "past" too much? Meaning, did I make it unrealistic or did it not make sense in any way? This is my first time trying to write something like this and I'm a little if-y about it. Writing is important to me and I would like to know how I can improve but I need you to really critique me without being too harsh! Just tell me if you did not like something and why kindly.

4) On youtube (shameless advertising time) I have started a contest for the host club titled Why Host Do You Prefer? My username if lovedbyall and I want you all to vote for which host is the best for hosting! Also, tell me your fanfiction username so I can know you're one of the people reading this story. Thanks!

5) I plan on writing a MoriHaru one-shot soon. That is all. Lol.

Enjoy!

* * *

The clock was ticking rather loudly in the ears of a half Japanese and half French blond, a spectacled and money-hungry third son, twins that were shifting their golden eyes back and forth with the tick tock of the clock, a small seventeen year old boy that devoured sweets, the seventeen year old boy's pissed off cousin that seemed to be made of stone instead of flesh, a pretty girl who has amnesia but still managed to get herself two boyfriends, an okama ( 'nuff said), and a pleased looking boy who carries watermelons around in the summertime sat in complete silence.

Strange group of people, no?

We won't even mention their strange predicament, because you should already know about that.

The table was so small that Hikaru and Kaoru had to hold their tongues to not make fun of it (of course, Tamaki had hushed them earlier about it). They were all pretty cramped and the seating arrangements did not help the mood.

The twins were seated next to each other, obviously, this was not a problem.

Kyouya and Tamaki seemed to be doing pretty well sitting side by side as well.

Honey was in between Tamaki and Takashi.

Most importantly...Haruhi was sandwiched between Ranka...and **Arai**.

Ranka took note of how Arai was getting annoyed looks from several of the teenagers in his home. He looked to his daughter. Haruhi was never the one to blush or seem flustered but it wasn't hard to tell that she was confused and a bit disorientated. She seemed to be lost in thought at the moment, so he would not bother her. One thing he was sure of though, was that a lot had happened during her absence.

"Well, I suppose you boys would like to know how I lost Haruhi in the first place, right?" he asked.

"Ah, yes, if you would tell," Tamaki replied.

Arai shifted in his seat and Ranka took in a deep breath.

"Alright." Ranka said, putting his hands on his knees and inhaling deeply. "Well, it was a rainy evening..."

Haruhi sighed when her head hit the soft white pillow_. Her_ pillow. The pillow that had belonged to her all this time- the pillow she hadn't rested her head on in months. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, willing her body and mind to relax. It had been such a long and eventful day that she wanted to do nothing more than to rest.

"Haruhi."

Hearing that familiar voice, Haruhi slowly opened her eyes and rolled onto her side, her hair falling gently into her eyes in the process. She found that she was even too tired to push her hair from her vision and instead settled for giving Takashi a little smile.

"You forgot a bag." He told her, holding up the small duffle bag. He walked towards her and sat it at the foot of her bed.

"Thanks." Haruhi replied and sat up. Obviously, she wasn't the only one exhausted. He looked more worn out than she had ever seen him. Everyone else had looked the same way after Ranka's story as well, though they had tried to cover it up.

He reached over and rubbed her cheek with his thumb gently. She leaned into his touch while his eyes twinkled. "You want me to talk to Arai-kun, right?" Haruhi asked, knowing that this was what Takashi had been communicating to her.

"Un." He replied. Takashi frowned slightly and took his hand from her cheek and placed it on her knee. "If...you know what you want to say to him."

She stared at him, crossed between being angry at him and wanting to admit that he was right. She barely knew how she felt. Why was it that she felt saddened at the way Arai looked at her? He seemed to caring and free-spirited. She sighed and looked into Takashi's eyes, hoping that he knew that she was not going to lie to him.

"I just know...that I feel guilty for forgetting about Arai-kun. I knew all this time that there were people and things I had left behind...but I didn't know that someone like him would be here waiting as well," Haruhi explained. She could only watch as Takashi leaned back a bit while he took this information in.

She bit her lip, knowing that as his face hardened into his usual stoic expression, that Takashi had resigned to let the topic come to a standstill. But it was not that Takashi did not care, it was most likely that he had nothing to say- or rather, he didn't know what was appropriate to say in this situation.

"Ah..." He finally said in his baritone voice and stood up, pausing a moment to ruffle her hair gently. "Goodnight Haruhi."

"Goodnight." She replied quietly as she watched him retreat from her room. 'Why...did that sound more like a final....goodbye?' she wondered, never taking her eyes away from her doorway.

_It was a cold night. The wind was blowing heavily and it seemed to have some sort of vengeance it was bringing with it. "Or warning of something to come..." Arai said quietly as he walked beside Haruhi. _

"_Maybe we should be going home now." Haruhi suggested, also taking notice of the approaching storm. "It's getting dark and besides-" she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with amused but also slight annoyance when she said, "My dad's been following behind us for the past hour."_

_Arai chuckled and nodded. "You're right. I'll walk you home." _

_Haruhi thanked him and soon they were on their way. Arai walked beside Haruhi, wondering if it would be okay if he held Haruhi's hand. Would her father go crazy? Or should he prove that he wouldn't hurt her with this symbol of affection? _

_He finally made his decision and carefully entwined his fingers with Haruhi's, blushing all the while he was doing so. Thankfully and to his surprise, she did not object- and neither did her father. _

_That's when Haruhi's big brown doe eyes blinked and she asked, in all her serious manner and concern, "Are your hands cold, Arai-kun?"_

_Arai laughed nervously. Really...couldn't this girl tell when someone wanted to show their affection?! _

_It was then that Arai noticed him. He squeezed Haruhi's hand protectively despite Haruhi looking up at him with a uncertain look of displeasure. "Arai-kun? What's wrong?"_

"_We're being followed." he whispered._

"_Ah...I noticed that too." Haruhi admitted. "I didn't want to alarm you though..."_

_Arai would've sweat dropped if he hadn't have been so nervous. Why did Haruhi always see him as a damsel in distress? __**He**__ was the one who wasn't supposed to be alarming __**her**__! _

_Said man had been lurking in the shadows for a long time now, which explained why Ranka had stayed around for so long. He had probably seen the man following Haruhi and Arai too and was worried for their safety. Arai gulped. Why was this man following them, he wondered. _

_When he took his attention from Haruhi again the man had disappeared. Arai raised his eyebrows and scanned their area. "Where-" he started, just when he was interrupted by a gruff, "Shut up," in his ear. A chill was sent up and down his spine and his hair stood up on the back of his neck._

_He something poking at his back and in the back of his mind he knew that it had to be a gun- a weapon that could __**kill**__. _

"_Don't scream or I'll shoot you and the pretty girl right now." The voice said. "Keep walking like normal." _

_Haruhi and Arai did as they were told, Haruhi looking quite angry and Arai feeling as if he would wet his pants any minute. "Now, follow my directions and everything will go nice and easy." _

'_Please...' Arai thought. 'Get help Ranka-san...'_

The moment she had opened her eyes Haruhi had to stifle a scream. Stopping herself from ear-splitting screeches, though, did not mean that she had stopped herself from jumping out of her bed in fear and running to the other side of her room. "W-What the hell?!" she said.

From the end of the bed, Ranka rose up and chuckled. "Now, now Haruhi. That isn't any way for a young maiden to talk!"

Haruhi breathed heavily, looked around for awhile while gaining her bearings. Once calm she remembered where she was, remembered the scent and the sights, and remembered that she was **home**. "D-Dad..." she said, trying out the name and feeling pleased that it sounded exactly right when speaking to the okama. "You scared me. Why are you in my room so early?"

"Isn't it alright for your father to want to see his daughter's bed head?" Ranka asked chidingly and smiling greatly.

Haruhi sighed and ruffled her hair. It seemed that if it wasn't going to be the twins, Honey or Tamaki, she was going to get woken up anyways by Ranka. "I guess there's nothing wrong with it...even if it is annoying." She added flatly.

Ranka laughed loudly, so loudly and for such a long time that Haruhi suddenly felt uncomfortable. His laugh, it almost sounded like he was become hysterical.

"Dad?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. She watched as tears formed in his eyes, dripped down his face and suddenly his laughter turned into sobs. "Dad..."

"I'm sorry Haruhi," he cried and before she knew it he had his arms wrapped around her and was holding her close and so tightly that she could barely breathe. "It's been so long...I thought I would never see you again. I wanted to say 'good morning', I wanted to see you and hold you..." he sobbed, stroking her hair gently.

Haruhi nodded, her face planted into his shirt. Her heart thudded loudly in her ears and she did know it until she took a deep breath that she was crying and her breath was shaky. She tried to say something but it came out in a sob as well. From that point on she couldn't stop crying no matter what she did, no matter how she tried to play it off or wipe her tears they kept flowing, kept coming. She finally gave up and sobbed onto her father's chest, letting his scent and strength flow into her and holding him tightly while he also cried.

But the thought that made her continue crying even when Ranka had left the room to allow her to rest and settle down resonated through her head and her mind loudly and clearly was the thought of, "I'm home. I'm home..."

_Arai was sweating even though his whole body was cold and he was shivering. It was raining hardly and they were still walking with this guy directly behind him pointing a freakin' gun in his back and no one was on the street and Ranka was freakin' no where to be seen! Why did life suck so much and WHY had they come to such a desolate place?_

_The street was not completely void of people but the few people that they had seen were busy with their own lives. The few cars that rode past sped away, their lights shining brightly and leaving Haruhi and Arai in the dust. _

_Arai wondered what Haruhi must think of him- a complete coward and idiot that couldn't take care of his girl, probably. A wimp was what he was, he thought. _

"_Alright," the gruff voice said. "We're going to go into this house. Take the keys." _

_Arai suddenly felt cold keys being stuffed into his hand and he took it, despite the thought in his head to drop them and kick the guy where the sun don't shine. He wondered though, why they built houses in such places. It was just perfect for a villain's hideout! _

_He opened the door, and as soon as he did the guy pushed them in and slammed the door, locking it behind him. _

_Haruhi and Arai looked up and saw his face. He was indeed a gruff man- a strange looking beard and beady black eyes to match. As he reached down to the little desk that was right in front of Haruhi they saw the silver gun, shining in all its terror. He picked up a bottle of beer from the small table and took a mighty swig before smiling and speaking to them._

"_Well, look what I done gone and found myself here."_

_Haruhi frowned and said evenly, "Let us out of here and maybe you won't get into too much trouble." _

_He laughed whole-heartedly before shaking his head and saying, "Poor girlie, even if I do get in trouble, you'll be dead by then. See, I don't care what happens to me. I don't care! That's why I'll have some fun. That's why."_

"_Fun?" Haruhi repeated, and Arai shivered. _

"_Yeah, so stand up and I'll show ya."_

"_You're out of your mind!" Arai spat. _

_The man chuckled and replied, "I guess you're right," before stepping towards them, " I shouldn't have bought a boy along, but this here girl is so cute- I figured I could take on a little pip-squeak like you though, 'cause I just gotta have her!" _

"_Leave her alone!" Arai yelled, making a crazy lunge for the man and sending them both crashing to the floor. Even in elementary school, Arai had never gotten into a fight. There had never been a reason for him to actually have physical confrontation. So he swung his fists down upon the guy for a while before making his mistake. He stopped punching and turned around to Haruhi and saying, "Get outta here!"_

_The man took the opportunity send a jaw-crushing blow to Arai's jaw. Dazed and hurting, Arai landed a few inches away. The man seemed to be infuriated now, and took no more time to talk. He moved to Haruhi and she did the only thing she could think of- grabbed the very beer bottle that had been sent to the floor and smashed it across the guy's head as hardly as she could. _

_To her surprise, he did not seem to be fazed by the stinging sensation or the fact that blood was dripping unceremoniously down his head. He only seemed to be even more angry. Haruhi tried to run- finally with the realization that she could do nothing to defeat this man like she had when they had been walking with his gun to Arai's back. _

_The gun! _

_She panicked when he grabbed her arm roughly, swung her around so that her back was against his stomach and then his gun was against her temple. Her knees shook horribly. She had never been so frightened, especially considered that the only thing she had ever been afraid of was thunderstorms. _

_Thunderstorms..._

_Tears filled her eyes as she took notice of the loud sounds of the storm outside. Why had she had to think about it? Now she would die in her least favorite type of weather..._

_Meanwhile, Arai was still on the floor, wondering what the heck was the right thing to do in this situation. "Wait...please! Don't hurt her!" he pleaded. "We'll give you anything...make your life better." He talked, talked because talking was stalling- it was buying time. "What do you like? Money?"_

"_I like girls." The man answered and got to work on Haruhi's pants, tugging at the belt wrapped around her waist and practically growling in his anger when it would not come off. _

"_Haruhi!" Arai yelled, running towards them again and unfortunately getting his lights knocked out once again. This time though, the man did not stop. He continuously pounded upon Arai with his fists. _

"_Stop!" Haruhi yelled and pounded onto the man's back. When she got annoying enough, he whisked around and hit her in her head roughly- with the handle of his gun. _

_She fell to the floor. Again, he hit her with the gun just as she was getting back up. Blood. Too much blood. She tilted to the side, just as he delivered another blow to her face with his fist. _

"_Haruhi!" Arai yelled. _

Haruhi did not see Takashi or Arai or the twins or anyone for two days. Perhaps they all wanted her to become accustomed to her life at home again. Her mind would wonder on why they had not contacted her, until she would get distracted with her friends from school, who would all come over and tell her how much they all missed her and shower her talks of school life that she found intriguing but a bit distressing.

Between that, her father talked to her all the time. She learned of the woman in his dreams- the lawyer that had died and was always smiling- her mother. She would hold the picture and look at it, trying to remember anything from her past about the woman. Sometimes she did, she thought, or it could've been made up memories that she had conjured to fill the spot where her real memories should've been. Even so, Haruhi liked to believe that these memories that she was seeing were true and that her mother had really patted her on the head and gave her thumbs-up.

Perhaps she would ask Ranka if they were really memories or not, but for now she wanted to bask in them, let them refresh her body and mind as much as they could.

It was Takashi who contacted her first, bringing a smile to her face and making her happy for the rest of the day. He told her that they had all went back to school, that things at the Host Club had returned back to normal, that the twins were laughing and Tamaki was smiling and Honey was enjoying cake while Kyouya documented it all- while he watched silently and felt proud of them all for the rejuvenation.

"I'm glad you're all doing well." she responded. Of course, it had been hard to drag out the information on what everyone was up to from the silent senior. But once he realized that she really wanted and needed to know he had spilt the beans and said what she wanted to hear.

"How are you?" He finally asked.

"Fine. Just..." Could she say it? Being Haruhi, she did not blush of saying this to the man that was her boyfriend, but well, it was her first time saying something like it... "I miss you."

"Me too." He replied truthfully, no hint of surprise in his voice. He figured that it was natural to miss her, and so admitting it was not a problem for him.

"Takashi...I wanted to let you know that I'm going to set things straight with Arai-kun. That once I talk to him I really want us to begin a...relationship. If that's alright with you."

"Yeah," he replied, his excitement for once evident in his voice, "That sounds good."

_Ranka scorned himself for not having a car, for not having a cellular phone, for not slamming his way into the house sooner. Nonetheless, he did have a knife. It was a pocket-knife and could surely do some damage if it had to! _

_With that as his only comfort and not enough time to get some police or back-up men for support, Ranka did the only thing he could think of. _

_He crashed through the window. _

_His flesh stung in pain where some chards of glass has sunken in but he paid it no mind when he saw Haruhi sprawled out on the floor and Arai also bleeding heavily, one of his eyes shut tightly and swollen already. "Hey!" he yelled and swung his hand with the knife crazily, cutting into the man. _

_The man yowled in pain and fought against Ranka, immediately pulling for his gun and aiming it at him. Ranka didn't care if he got shot, he was blinded by fury and could only think of this man dying by his hands. Perhaps the man saw this look of temporary insanity in Ranka's eyes or maybe it was a memory of something that happened in his past that made him react like he did- whatever it was, the man seemed startled beyond belief when he looked at Ranka, and went crazy, pressing the trigger of his gun repeatedly, over and over again. _

"_HE WON'T DIE!" the man yelled before Ranka lunged at him again. _

_Apparently, he did not realize that his bullet was not loaded. _

_But, he did realize that the gun was doing no good against Ranka, and he kicked Ranka hardly. The two fought, until they rolled over to where Haruhi was. _

_Though he was in pain that he had never felt before, Arai was trying to carry the girl out of the house. He was not quick enough, though, and he ended up falling to the floor, Haruhi on top of him, Ranka on top of her and the man on top of Ranka. _

_Haruhi's eyes popped open, and Ranka sent his knife up into the air, preparing to bring it down upon the man in one final blow._

_Haruhi screamed. _

_She did not see the man when Ranka was suddenly thrown to the ground and rolled out of eye sight. She turned and then saw Arai, who had the gun in his hand. He reached for her arm but she snatched away. _

"_Haruhi, we've got to go get help!" he said, worried about Ranka. But Haruhi was not paying attention. She screamed again, an ear-splitting scream that made her own head start pounding in pain. She went for the door, opened it without looking back, without noticing Ranka or the man or Arai or anything. _

_She just knew that she had to get out, that she had to run. _

_She did run, but the boy was right behind her. That boy who had the gun in his hand- that boy that she did not know. That couldn't have been Arai! She didn't know him, she thought, pushing the thought to her brain and thinking it over and over again as she ran. She did not believe in __**knowing **__someone like that. She couldn't have! _

_The pitter-patter of the rain echoed off of the sidewalk. She was running, running, running. Unfortunately, this girl had no direction. She did not know where she was going, nor did she know why she was running in the first place. It was very confusing, very tiring. _

"_Haruhi!" _

"_No! Let go of me!"_

"_Haruhi, please!"_

"_NO!" _

_She snatched away. His face has been a complete blur, mixed in the rain and her tears, she could not see his face. She thought the voice was familiar, but she was so scared that she didn't stop to check twice. _

_The only thing that made sense right now was running because that would get her away, far, far, away. _

_Her head was pounding as she stopped to get a breather. Her chest was burning, her throat dry, her entire body in complete pain. _

_She looked up, her eyes scanning a place where it would be safe._

_The solitude of an alley._

* * *

Ah, so the frequent headaches she had always had made sense now. It was no wonder why since she had been hit in the head so many times. Haruhi turned around in bed, staring at the bright full moon. 'I wonder if everyone is looking at this same moon?' she wondered.

"There was so much I could've done...so much that I should've done." Tamaki whispered, staring out of the window at the bright and beautiful moon.

"You didn't know that such a story was what brought Haruhi to you," Kyouya said, taking his glasses off and glancing at the moon as well. "Let's just be thankful that the man in question was captured, confessed, and Ranka was allowed out of the mental institution."

"How can I?" Tamaki asked. "This happened to Haruhi..."

"I know." Kyouya agreed. "I know."

* * *

"What a sight, right Hikaru?" Kaoru smiled warmly and took in looking at the moon with his brother.

"Yeah..." Hikaru answered.

"Thinking about Haruhi?"

"It's just...why didn't we realize that the girl Tono found- why didn't we expect it to be something tragic like this happened? That her mother is dead...that she already had a boyfriend even though we were pursuing her. That she and that boyfriend were kidnapped and beaten brutally by a crazy guy?"

"How could we have known?" Kaoru replied.

Hikaru nodded, and they said together, "I guess...everything happens for a reason."

* * *

"It's destiny that we met Haru-chan, ne, Takashi?" Honey asked, the moon reflecting off of his warm caramel eyes.

"Un." Takashi agreed.

"And you're so happy that she misses you!"

"Ah."

"I'd be happy too!"

"She misses everyone, not just me." Takashi said.

"You think so?"

"She told me so." Takashi told him.

"Then, we should have celebratory cake, right?"

"Ah." Takashi smiled, looking at the moon now too. "We should...when everyone is together again."

"I think you're right." Honey nodded.

* * *

Haruhi smiled and laid her head down. "There's still some changes that I want made, Mom." She told the picture on her dresser. "I just have to see if I can make them all come true."

Haruhi hoped so. She really hoped so.

**Upcoming Chapter Preview: What is it that Haruhi plans on changing? How will she speak to Arai and complete her comfort in her life with her father? Most importantly, will her relationship with Takashi really last?**

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! I'm shocked that I'm still getting people to alert and favorite this story! It brings happiness to my heart to see that people actually like my writing! Please review! I love you guys so much!

Until next time! Ja ne!


	22. She Will Be Loved Pt 1

**Okay, so this is not the last chapter. I was having a writer's block and somehow, this is what came out. It's filled with a lot of- um, weirdness. But it was fun to write! I'm not going to say that the next chapter will be the last but I do know that it will be soon. It may be the next one it and it may not be. **

**Anyway, enjoy! **

* * *

Haruhi took in a deep breath, let it out, and exhaled again. 'It shouldn't be _this_ hard to do...' Haruhi thought, impatient with herself for standing in front of the door for so long. Honestly, all she had to do was knock! So why was it that her palms were sweating and her body seemed cold enough to shiver.

What was it that made her so nervous when she was around Arai?

In her mind's eye she saw Arai leaning into her, his eyes almost to their closing point, his hand on the small of her back. She saw Arai smiling, laughing, running while his hair blew in the wind.

Haruhi blinked, shook her head furiously and returned her face to its normal yet blunt looking features. "What. The. Hell." She mumbled to herself, annoyed at her sudden display of girlish tendencies. Haruhi sighed and raised her hand, balling it up into a fist and pounding onto the door. She shuffled her feet on the ground as she listened to the sounds in the inside of the household.

"Who's there?" The voice Haruhi recognized as Arai's asked, and Haruhi felt her heart skip a beat.

'Calm down Haruhi...' she thought desperately. "It's Haruhi..." she said.

"Ah. One moment!" Arai said, followed by the sound of the door unlocking. It swung open, presenting Arai with a cheeky grin. "Konnichiwa Haruhi."

"Konnichiwa." Haruhi greeted, suddenly not feeling at all cheerful. A part of her wished that Arai had not opened the door with such a happy look on his face. She did not like to be the bearer of bad news nor did she enjoy being the one to break people down. Still, she knew she had to do this. It was just that...it seemed like such a hard thing to do.

Nonetheless, she inched her way inside the house, Arai chatting away as he closed the door behind her. "It's funny. I never thought that you would actually come to visit me." he was saying.

"I just...had something to tell you." Haruhi replied. Haruhi looked up and from the kitchen, she could see a woman cleaning the dishes. The woman looked back and smiled warmly at Haruhi. "Sorry for intruding," Haruhi said, bowing slightly in the presence of the older woman.

"Don't be silly," the woman replied. Haruhi blinked; the woman looked just like Arai- or rather, Arai looked exactly like her. "You're barely even considered a guest in this house Haruhi-chan. You're always welcome!"

"Arigato." Haruhi thanked her. She had forgotten that once upon a time she had actually spent a lot of time in Arai's company. It was no surprise that in that time period she had become acquainted with Arai's family. Haruhi bit her lip; this was only making it harder for her to tell Arai the truth. She jumped slightly when she felt Arai's hand upon her shoulder. "Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked gently. Haruhi nodded in agreement and soon the two were out of the door, walking side by side, just like old times.

This was giving Haruhi a nostalgic feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was not one to run away in times that she felt appropriate to speak her mind, but this was pushing it.

Arai breathed in the crisp autumn air, closing his eye momentarily and trying his best to soak this moment in. He was not stupid. The look on Haruhi's face after he had kissed her had told him a lot of things. He opened his eyes again and looked down at Haruhi. She was so beautiful, he had never- even for a moment- stopped loving her. He frowned, a sense of sudden pride washing over him. 'No...I won't give up that easily...not without a fight!' he thought.

"Y-you know Haruhi..." he started nervously. "About what happened when you went missing-"

"Oh, that?" Haruhi looked up at him, her face stern. She stopped walking and faced him. "I'm the one who should mention it. I'm...I'm very sorry that I ran away from you that time. My memory of that day isn't very clear- but from the story you and Dad told me I'm sure that you did nothing wrong and that you were only trying to protect me." she smiled, and Arai suddenly felt his blood rushing to his cheeks. "Thank you, Arai-kun. For everything."

Arai grinned widely, "Then, we can go back to the way things were! We can start over," he went on, his enthusiasm reminding her of Tamaki on so many different levels. He grabbed her hands in his, looked into her eyes and she could see his own sparkling in pure delight. "We can become a couple again, right?"

She couldn't do this. For once, Fujioka Haruhi was at a lost for words. She wanted to run away or cry or scream- anything that would make her knees stop shaking her heart beat stop beating so rapidly. Why was it that she couldn't say no to this guy? Why did she not want to reject him, tell him that she now belonged to someone else?

"I...Arai-kun...we can't" she looked down as if the words that she wanted to say were scribbled onto the cement beneath her feet.

"Haruhi, _please_," Arai said, pulling her close into his embrace. Haruhi squeezed her eyes shut. "Give me a chance."

This was too hard. She couldn't crush Arai. She had already stepped on both of the twins and Tamaki's hearts. How could she do it again, how could she willingly hurt her friend? The boy that had saved her life!

Plus, she it wasn't fair to him. She had been with him before she had been with Takashi. If she had gone out with him before, wasn't that proof that she loved him? Could that still be true? She didn't love Hikaru or Tamaki- that was why she could say no to them. But with Arai it was different. She was actually having trouble doing it. Didn't that speak for itself?

"Haruhi. Please..."

"I need some time." she whispered.

* * *

Takashi _knew _that it would be a bad idea if they followed Haruhi and Arai. But no. The host club had talked him into it. Like an idiot and like he always did, he followed along with it. Of course there was no way to know that Arai and Haruhi would spend five minutes hugged up next to a beautiful sakura tree- seemingly whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears.

Hikaru lowered his binoculars down from his face and shook his head, a rather pissed off look displayed upon his features. "That bastard. Who does he think he is, anyways?" he rolled his eyes and passed the binoculars over to Tamaki, who by now was going crazy.

He looked back to Takashi, sighed, and stood up so that he could lay his hand on Takashi's shoulder. For once, Tamaki did not seem to have any words to say. This was a situation that they had never encountered before- how could he know what kind of advice to give?

"Shouldn't we _do _something?" the twins asked irritably, looking over to their Mori-sempai. "Are we just going to stand here while he steals Haruhi away?"

Takashi stared at them momentarily before averting his gaze back to Haruhi and Arai. He couldn't quite decipher what the heck was going on. Haruhi, his girlfriend and the woman he was in love with, had specifically told him that she would have an official break up with Arai and then come to him and be his and _only _his.

So why is it that she's hugging this guy- so....so...passionately?!

Takashi felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face and he planted his hands against a tree and leaned against it for support, his aura going into a deep purple.

"Waaah! Poor Takashi!" Honey cried, tears filling his eyes.

Takashi's eye twitched. 'I know I'm supposed to trust her...but...' he thought, looking back at the place Arai and Haruhi was and to his surprise, saw them- KISSING?!

* * *

Haruhi's eyes snapped open. This. Was. Not. Right. All of her previous flirtatious feelings flew out of the window and the normal, straight thinking Haruhi returned with a vengeance. No matter what type of feelings she had for Arai it was not her intention to start kissing him. She had said that she needed time to think, so why had he decided to kiss her? What gave him the right? Her mind raced, sudden fury bubbling inside of her and her hand went to his chest and she struggled to push him off of her.

Unfortunately, his kiss became more forceful and the hand on the small of her back started to hurt. She raised her hand to defend herself, but before she could do anything Arai was gone from her and when she looked again he was on the cement ahead of her. She stared- confused and dazed- at him. "Wha-?"

She looked down and saw two shadows, one matching her and the other in the familiar outline of Morinozuka Takashi. Haruhi looked up and surely enough he was standing right behind her. His face was no longer stoic, but that of pure rage. "Taka-"

"Why?" he asked. He let his cold eyes stare into her, and they both knew that she knew what he had meant. "Why." he asked again with even more sternness evident in his voice. "Tell me."

Her body shook with the single thought 'what have I done?' She had to be strong. This was Takashi; he would understand if she just explained carefully. It was obvious that he had not seen her struggling against Arai (who was now picked up and dusted off by Tamaki and shivering in between Honey and Kyouya).

Takashi had been too enraged at his first glance, he hadn't paid any attention after that. All he had known was that Arai was kissing his girl (again) and that she hadn't told Arai about him.

"I couldn't hurt him Takashi. It doesn't seem right that I was dating Arai and now I-"

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I didn't know how I felt," she responded, her voice rising in defense for herself.

"So you love him."

"No." she shook her head. Her feelings for Arai were different than they were for Takashi- she knew that know. Why she had not figured that out from the moment she stepped foot into his house she did not know. She would admit that she had been dazed out awhile ago, she would admit that she was accountable for her actions and that, for once, she was not the good guy in the story. "I'm not in love with Arai-kun."

She looked up at him, "I promise."

He did not respond at first, a sign that he was going over every bit of information in his head, trying to figure out what was going on in _her _head. That's when the most important question of all popped into his mind.

"Do you love _me_?"

"Of course I-"

He put a finger to her lips, silencing her for the time being. "Do you love me? Enough to not have any doubts when someone else comes along?"

She blinked. How could she say yes when she had just been having thoughts of doubt about that very question? Then again, how could she say no when she was sure that her feelings for him had not wavered?

Haruhi was pretty sure that Takashi already had formulated the answer she would say; he was always thinking ahead and most of the times he was right.

"I need time to think." she finally replied. It was the only thing she could think of saying that would not totally push their relationship off of the cliff.

There was an uncomfortable pause before Takashi blinked and turned his head to the host club members, giving them a blank look.

"Eh heh heh...." the twins, Tamaki and Honey laughed nervously while Kyouya sweat dropped.

Takashi gave them a look that said "you're _still _here?" and his fellow host club members suddenly started to whistle and walk in opposite directions saying things like "oh, isn't today a nice day for a stroll?"

Haruhi sweat dropped. 'Stupid eavesdroppers...'

She then took a deep breath. While having the other hosts make idiots of themselves was serving for a seconds distraction, this scenery was getting to be too much for her. She wished that she could go back in time and stop herself from going over to Arai's house in the first place.

"Haruhi."

The sound of his voice stopped her from her reverie and she looked up quickly, concerned to hear what he could possibly say next. Haruhi had never felt so trapped and guilty before. She felt as if she were a child again, one that had broken a parent's prized possession and was now sitting in front of her parent- waiting for her punishment to be given to her.

"It's getting late," he pointed out.

Haruhi looked up. Sure enough, the sun was setting, turning the sky into a deep orange and quickly darkening. "Oh...you're right."

"Ah..." he said and finally turned around. He walked away from her without so much as a goodbye or see ya later but she knew that none of that was appropriate. After all, he was pretty steamed at her.

Before he could get past Arai though, she saw the brunette lad saying something to Takashi. The stoic senior nodded his head and gave a small smile before walking past Arai and going up to Honey.

Haruhi sighed and turned around. At this rate, it was going to be a long, lonely walk home.

"Need a ride?" Chorused two voices from either side of her, and Haruhi looked up to see the twins grinning down at her.

"Not really." she replied, not really in the mood for whatever antics they had planned. Her brown eyes swept back to where Takashi was, her mind screeching for her to _just go do something about this, darn it! _

"Aww! Come on Haruhi!" Hikaru groaned, latching his arm with hers.

"It'll be like old times." Kaoru told her.

Haruhi sighed, suddenly feeling as if there was no hope for her anymore. "Well...just this once," she finally said.

The twins exchanged wicked glances before giving each other high-fives and following behind Haruhi.

Meanwhile, Takashi watched her leave with the twins. Anger was a strange emotion to him and now it seemed as if it would be the only emotion he ever felt again. Why was it that Haruhi couldn't just say that she would always be with him. That she would never, ever have feelings for someone else as long as she was with him.

But, Takashi stuffed his hands into his pockets grudgingly, once of the attributes that they had alike was that they were honest.

Excruciatingly honest.

Before, her blunt personality was something that he loved about her.

Now he just wished that she would lie to him- just this once.

* * *

"You know Haruhi, when we let Mori-sempai have you...we weren't really expecting you to do something like this." Hikaru said, his golden eyes staring steadily out of the window, his hand holding his chin up.

"Don't tell me you guys made me come with you just so that you could scold me."

"Of course not." Kaoru sighed and rested his hand on hers. "We were just...wondering what you're thinking."

"If I knew what I was thinking, I would've told Takashi." Haruhi replied. "And it's none of your business anyway."

"That hurts Haruhi!" the twins whined, moving so that one of their cheeks touched each of hers and rubbed up against her. "Why are you so mean?"

Haruhi sighed and pushed the twins away gently. "I'm sorry...it's just...I really can't say if I'm worthy of Takashi anymore."

Hikaru and Kaoru watched as the brunette girl's eyes became clouded and miserable, her shoulders slumped and she stared at her feet. "I thought that I would be able to tell Arai-kun that I'm with Takashi easily. But when I tried I ended up tongue tied and bothered and all I could think about was not hurting him."

The twins exchanged glances before silence filled their limousine. "Baka..." Hikaru muttered after awhile, causing Haruhi to look up in confusion.

"What?" she asked.

"Ba-ka." Hikaru repeated. "How can someone so smart be so stupid?"

Haruhi glared at him. "You're one to talk."

"At least I know how I feel about people."

"Well at least-" Haruhi stopped. She had no comebacks and even if she did she wouldn't be proving anything. Feeling defeated, she crossed her arms over her chest and remained silent.

After awhile, Kaoru sighed and placed a hand on her head and turned her so that she would look at him. "Haruhi, how do you feel you relationship with us is?"

Haruhi blinked and tilted her head to the side. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question."

Haruhi sighed and thought. Well, it was already proved that she wasn't in love with either of them. But she did love them, they were like her family. "I don't know...you're like...my brothers or something."

"And do you think it would be so easy to hurt us?" Hikaru asked.

"Of course not." Haruhi said, frowning and still not getting the picture.

"Would you say your feelings towards Arai is similar?"

"What does Arai-kun have to do with-...oh." Haruhi giggled a bit. "Oh, I see." She laughed harder. Obviously, her feelings for Arai was love for him- but in a sisterly type of way! Why hadn't she seen this before, she wondered as she laughed until tears formed in her eyes. All the trouble she had just gone through had been because of feelings that she didn't understand. That's why it always felt so wrong when Arai kissed her! It had to be, she told herself in her mind over and over again.

Suddenly she felt as free as a bird.

The twins laughed along with her, saying things like "silly girl, did you _really _think you could love a guy like that? Look at his hair!"

* * *

Takashi paced in the room back and forth. What was he going to do? What could he say to Haruhi? Did she really love Arai? Did that even matter to him? Thoughts raced through his mind as Honey, Kyouya and Tamaki watched him become more and more agitated.

"I wish we could do something to help him," Tamaki whispered, "But...Mori-sempai is sort of scary when he's like this."

"Poor Takashi! He must really be hurting!" Honey commented.

Kyouya's glasses glimmered while he wondered how the heck Tamaki had managed to get him to go to Takashi's place with him and Honey. Sure, Mori was his friend, but this was a bit ridiculous.

"But." Tamaki said, his bangs falling over his eyes. "I cannot let a friend of mines suffer a wound so deep on his own! Especially when it involves Haruhi!" With that, he stood up, full of bravado and preparing to go off into one of his plans. "Mori-sempai," he took Takashi by the shoulders and met his deep blue eyes with Takashi's gray ones. "The love you feel in your heart is something that you can't deny, correct?"

"Yeah," Takashi responded.

"Then you must chase after her! Just because Haruhi made a mistake doesn't mean that you can't be together! You must go and talk to her and embrace her tightly while relaying your ever-lasting affection to her. Then and only then will you be proven worthy of being called Haruhi's lover! Express your love to the world!"

"Heh..." Honey laughed nervously. "Tama-chan is going a little overboard."

"That's nothing new." Kyouya replied.

Of course, they both got a shot when Takashi said in that deep voice, "You're right."

Honey and Kyouya nearly fell over. "Now Mori-sempai I know it sounds silly but-...I'm...right?" Tamaki's eyes glowed in amazement. "I'm right?" He seemed positively giddy and Kyouya braced himself for the inevitable. "I'm right! Did you hear that Kyouya? I'm right!"

While Tamaki did a dance in the middle of his room, Takashi moved to pull on his expensive jacket. He figured that there was no reason to tell Tamaki that he had gone a little too far- but his advice was good and Takashi would surely take it. It didn't matter to him that Haruhi made a mistake. He was now sure that she would make many more and that so would he. He was wrong for getting angry at Haruhi, wrong for questioning her so intensely.

"Mitsukuni," Takashi said and the small teenager nodded and said, "do your best!"

"I'll be back," Takashi said before going out of the door and raising down the stairs. He had to get to Haruhi's house and tell her how he felt before it was too late! He couldn't let this simmer in her mind and ruin their relationship.

Meanwhile, Haruhi was making her own decisions. The twins grinned cheekily as they instructed the driver to "Turn the car around! To Morinozuka's house and make it quick!"

"Haruhi's gonna confess! Haruhi's gonna confess!" the twins chanted until Haruhi told them to shut up.

"Can't you two be a little more sensitive?"

"Can't you be a little more fun?"

"No." Haruhi dead panned and looked away.

"Aw, Haruhi's being boring," they said, always trying to get the last word. Haruhi sighed and gazed out of the window at the scenery. Her heart was pounding and yet the world had turned so dark while the glowing moon hung high in the sky.

Once they had finally reached Mori's house Haruhi hesitantly stepped out of the vehicle. She stood there until the twins came and stood next to her, each of them resting a reassuring hand on her shoulders.

"We just want you to remember Haruhi..." Hikaru started gently and squeezed her shoulder.

"Whatever happens, we'll always be here for you." Kaoru finished, mimicking his brother's gesture and giving her shoulder a delicate press.

"Because you're so cute!" They chorused together, once again snuggling up against her and succeeding in cutting off her breathing.

"Yare, yare..." she mumbled, then smiled despite herself. It was sweet (and annoying) how the twins cared so much about her. They wanted her to have courage, she knew, but she didn't know if she would be able to muster enough up to face Takashi and admit everything that was on her mind.

"Let's go!" Kaoru and Hikaru cheered and started to pull their favorite girl up the steps and into the Morinozuka mansion. Before the maids or butlers could speak the twins hurriedly pushed Haruhi up the stairs and to where they knew Takashi's room was.

Once there, Haruhi looked around, her breathing coming in short gasps from running so quickly. Takashi's room appeared to be the same; clean, large, and perfect for the Wild Type. So, exactly where was he anyways?

"Eh?" Blinking in her bewilderment, Haruhi took in the sight of Tamaki, Kyouya and Honey. "Where's Takashi?"

"Oh! Haru-chan!" Honey said, bounding up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Takashi just went looking for you!"

"EEEEEEEHHHHHHH?!"

(At Haruhi's House)

"Oh! Mori-kun, it's nice to see you again," Ranka said.

"Likewise." Takashi replied. He tried to peer past Ranka and into the household, his heart beating wildly. Meanwhile, Ranka was smiling like he was on one of Honey's sugar-induced high's. Takashi cleared his throat, becoming a little unnerved at Ranka just standing there.

"So, where's Haruhi?" Ranka asked, still smiling merrily.

"That's..." Takashi sweat dropped, "What I was going to ask you."

Ranka's smile faltered momentarily before it was brought back. "Nani? Isn't she with you? I assumed since I haven't been in contact with her all day that you two-"

"No." Takashi replied flatly.

"Oh. I see." Ranka nodded. Suddenly, his smile dropped completely, he gripped his long red locks and let out an amazing wail. "EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH?! HA-RU-HIIIIIIII!"

* * *

**A/N: For once, I have nothing to say XD! Happy New Year!**


	23. She Will Be Loved Pt 2 The End

**Well, this is it. We've finally reached the last chapter everyone! I can't say how happy I am and I can't thank you enough for reviewing, favoriting and subscribing. Special thanks to my reviewers that reviewed basically every chapter. Including: KitsuchiTenu, zutarababe, fire dragonheart, AnineForTheSoul, sakurawriter, AyaDokuseiRingo, Cereza671, Rayne Hunter, Mithras151. I apologize if you've reviewed a lot and I didn't mention your name! Gomen nasai!**

**Also, thanks to those who have recently gotten into this story, reviewd and/or subscribed. I've noticed you, trust me I have! **

**This is my first fic with more than five chapters and I thank you all so much for sticking with me. It's been eight wonderful months, hasn't it? **

**If you have any requests for once-shots, please tell me and I'll do some. It doesn't have to be MoriHaru**

**(Final) Disclaimer: I haven't done this since the first chapter so here it is: I own nothing! (except Tamaki's heart. I love that guy)**

**Without any further things to say, I now give you my last chapter. Please enjoy. Thank you for reading and giving this aspiring novelist a chance. **

* * *

Fujioka Haruhi stared at the two large doors directly in front of her. This was the room that happened to be on the top floor of the south wing and at the end of the north hallway in Ouran High School, the prestigious school that she had never had the urge to go in before. The whole school was so humongous that she had needed an escort to get here; the Third Music Room. She found that even the doors were intimidating.

Haruhi reached out to the golden door handle, flinched, and dropped her hand back to her side again. Her mind was racing at a dangerous speed and she wondered if she had made the right decision in coming here or not. After all, she hadn't talked to Takashi in two days. She did not know his reasons for not getting in contact with her for this period of time but she knew her reasons perfectly. It seemed that the more she wanted to talk to him the harder it became to do it.

She could not remember a time she had felt so nervous, especially when it came to Takashi. Usually, she felt safe and content around him but now it seemed now she was a nervous wreck even when she just thought about him.

Haruhi lifted her hand again and took in a deep breath. It wouldn't be right, she reminded herself, to come into this grand school and just stand there the whole time. She figured that as long as she was there she might as well do something about her situation. The only reason she had been allowed in the school in the first place was because awhile back, Takashi had introduced her to the people that would let her in the school if she ever needed him.

Of course, she needed him now more than ever.

With that thought in mind, Haruhi finally wrapped her hand around the handle and opened the door. Upon doing so a flurry of bright red roses and shining light flooded out, temporarily blinding her as she heard six soothing voices chant, "Welcome."

* * *

To say that Morinozuka Takashi was in a bad mood was an understatement. He couldn't eat, sleep, or barely speak. If it didn't come naturally then breathing definitely would've become a problem as well. He felt so heavy just sitting there and for the first time in a long time he wondered if he was even worthy of living other than for helping out Honey. When he had been with Haruhi, he had actually felt like a person. Someone had actually really saw him for who he was.

He had been the happiest person on the planet. But now, he did not know what to do. After he had left Haruhi's place the other day he had tried several times to get in contact with her by phone but each time he had tried he would feel a surge of nervousness and hang up. He may look like he was made of steel but even so, he was a nervous wreck on the inside.

There was absolutely no comfort today in being by Honey's side, considering what had conspired against them just a few days before. He remembered how Honey had given him a smile, one filled with something that he hadn't seen the small senior hold since he had tried to change himself into a "real man" those years ago. This smile was fake and forced, something that made Takashi cringe even by just thinking about it.

"It's sort of funny Takashi," Honey had said, his eyes locked onto the sweets in front of him but seeming not to even look at them. "I always wanted you to be happy with Haru-chan...even if it meant losing you."

Takashi looked up, wondering what in the world had possessed his cousin to say something like that.

"I mean...I knew that one day we wouldn't be able to stay together always but I didn't know that you would leave me first." Honey laughed bitterly then, his caramel eyes becoming clouded and tearful. "But it's nice seeing you happy! So you have to talk to Haru-chan, alright? So I can see you smile again."

"Mitsukuni..."

"No, Takashi. I'm sorry for being selfish and being jealous of Haru-chan. I wanted to help you but I was sad all the time...gomen nasai, Takashi. I'm really, really sorry!" He sobbed, suddenly lurching forward so that his face planted into Takashi's front.

Takashi stared, this time actually really at a lost for words. How hadn't he seen this coming? He wondered if love had really blinded him so much that he hadn't taken the time to notice how Honey had felt. 'But he always looked so happy...' he thought, almost desperately. He knew that there was a time that he had always knew if something was bothering his closest friend and that now that had changed.

That thought scared him so much that he could've sworn his heart skipped a beat.

He gently rubbed Honey's back, then squeezed him tight against him. Honey looked up, his eyes full of tears and his face red from crying so hardly. "Mitsukuni...I'm sorry. I should've taken into consideration on how you felt. I should've paid more attention. It's my fault."

Honey's eyes widened and he shook his head back and forth quickly. "It's alright Takashi!" he leaned back and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. "I know that you care about Haru-chan a lot. I was wrong for being jealous, ne?"

"But-"

"I'll forgive you on one condition!" Honey cut him off, his usual happy smile returning in glory.

Takashi looked away. Not only was he in a semi-relationship but now his heart felt completely broken. He didn't even feel as if he should be forgiven. He hoped that Honey would make him do something humiliating, something that would hurt him badly so that he could also feel the pain that he had made Honey feel- just like when Honey had flipped him.

"Takashi, are you listening?"

Takashi looked back. Honey's eyes were serious, his expression so solemn that it almost scared him. What could he be planning? "I am."

"Then, if you want me to forgive you," Honey leaned up so that he could whisper in Takashi's ear. "Promise me that you will never _ever _forget me."

Now all Takashi could do was sit in the club and watch Honey, making sure that everything was alright with him. This time he tried to pay attention to the smaller details just as he had before he had met Haruhi. It scared him to think about how far apart they had become and that it was all his fault.

But another part of him was happy. They were taking the next step together, just as they had always thought they would. He and Honey had decided when they were very young that no matter what they would always stick together but give each other their space. When he reflected on it, he realized that the promise between them had held up nicely. Now he could only hope that Honey would somehow make another step, just as he had, though he wasn't exactly sure how the sweet-loving teenager would do it.

Thinking about Mitsukuni did make him Takashi feel better. Though, his mind never was too far away from Haruhi. He tried to concentrate on other matters again, but the same emptiness had returned and he could feel his bad mood returning. 'Is she angry with me...?' She did have every right to, he reminded himself. He had accused her and possibly even embarrassed her in front of everyone.

Just as he was about to continue his scolding, the sound of the two large doors opened. Almost robotically, Takashi chanted with his fellow host member, "Welcome!" and they awaited for the person to step into the room.

At first, upon seeing her, the room went silent. The customers had stopped in mid tea-sip and mid-chat to stare at the girl- or boy (for that is what most of them took her for), wondering what in the world was this person doing here in _those_ clothes. The hosts, of course, were thinking different things. For example- _What the hell is she doing here and why is she just standing there looking so darn adorable?! _

While Takashi's feet and tongue felt like a brick, Kyouya was the first to actually move. Next was Tamaki, who silkily excused himself from his customers and he was followed by the twins.

"Oh! We should go see what's going on too, ne, Takashi?" Honey suddenly said, snapping his cousin out of his reverie. Translation: Shouldn't we go so that you can talk to Haruhi now before it's too late?

"Yes. Excuse us." Takashi said, standing to his feet despite his legs shivering beneath him.

Honey also excused himself and hopped onto Takashi's back. They walked out into the hallway, where Kyouya had ushered Haruhi out to. He saw the girl looking quite distressed thanks to the twins and Tamaki smothering her, and for the first time in hours Takashi actually felt an emotion other than anger. He almost chuckled at the look on her face as she finally was released from their killer hugs.

"Ooh! What's in the bag?" the twins asked, trying to snatch the brown paper bag from her hands.

"It's just some cookies I made. They aren't very good." Haruhi said, snatching it away from them. For a moment Takashi caught her gaze and in that same moment he thought that he would faint. He now knew what the fan girls screaming in crowds for their favorite singer felt like. Unfortunately, just as quickly as she looked at him she looked away, leaving a heavy feeling in Takashi's chest. 'She doesn't even want to _look _at me.'

"Don't be ridiculous! Anything you make is sure to be delicious," Tamaki cried, succeeding in taking the bag from her hands. He pulled a cookie from the bag and held it up to the sky as if it were a token from heaven itself. His eyes twinkled as he slowly moved the cookie to his lips. Just as he was about to take a bite though- "Hey- my dear, sweet cookie from Haruhi!"

Hikaru laughed and broke the cookie in two, giving the other half to his twin. "Mmm...these chocolate chips are really gooey," Kaoru said in between his munches.

Hikaru smirked at Tamaki, "Too bad Milord, you didn't get the first taste."

Needless to say, Tamaki was about to go crazy.

"I guess she just doesn't want you to have some." The twins shrugged, finally succeeding in sending the poor guy into his corner of woe, mumbling words of pure sorrow.

Takashi's eyes followed the brunette as she sighed and made her way over to Tamaki, tapped him on the shoulder and offered him a cookie while telling him "not to pay any attention to the twins." A pang in his heart grew when he realized that she would probably not even offer him any of her homemade cookies. He wanted to talk to her- but what could he say?

When he felt a slight tug on his sleeve he looked down. Honey was looking up at him, concern in his eyes. Takashi shook his head a bit and looked away. There was nothing he could do about the situation.

Once Kyouya had taken a cookie Haruhi looked around, checking that everyone was enjoying the treats before she let her gaze move over to the last person. She gulped, swallowing her fear, and took a step forward. "Um...you...can have some if you want." Haruhi managed to say, despite her face suddenly burning. She hadn't realized that being away from him for so long would have this effect on her. She was nervous, albeit happy to see him.

He gave her a warm smile (or at least one she hoped was warm and not just so he could get rid of her faster) and extended his hand out to take a cookie. She could only watch as he bit into the chocolate chip snack, slowly tasting it and swallowing it. Finally, just when Haruhi thought she would faint, he smiled and told her, "It's good...thank you."

She nodded and opened her mouth to say something- anything, something that would get them going again- but she was too late. Kyouya came up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "As much as we appreciate your hospitality Haruhi," his glasses glimmered and he smiled so handsomely that Haruhi remembered just how devious the Shadow King really was. "We have customers waiting for us. Time is money, is it not?"

Everyone felt a large bead of sweet roll down their heads before Tamaki sprang up and got into his best friend's face. "Kyouya! Haruhi is always welcome here! How could you be so cruel?!" he shook his friend by the shoulders roughly. Kyouya sighed and snatched Tamaki's hands away from him, then took a second to adjust his glasses.

"Well, if Haruhi would like to become Mori-sempai's customer then it wouldn't be a problem. Otherwise, I'm sure that you can agree that it's rude to keep the ladies waiting for another woman. Right, ladies?" At the end of his sentence his cold tone turned charming once more and he faced the doorway.

Several girls gasped and/or blushed before they muttered their agreements.

"Ah, you are right Kyouya. These princesses, each with beauty so fair, deserves an unyielding presence to accompany them at all times," Tamaki said, easily slipping back into host-mode upon seeing the girls and ushering them back into the room.

"Hai, hai!" the twins, taking the hint, chorused and marched back into the music room together.

"Yay! More cake!" Honey said, bouncing back into the room.

Kyouya smirked and made a small noise in the back of his nose, pushing his glasses back up again and slowly walking back into the room.

Takashi inwardly twitched. How could they just abandon him like that? They knew he was scared out of mind. With Haruhi staring up at him with those big chocolate eyes sure wasn't helping him either.

Meanwhile, Haruhi was having similar feelings. Why wouldn't he say anything? What should she say? What _could _she say under these conditions? Maybe coming here wasn't a good idea. Maybe he hadn't gotten in contact with her because he just didn't want to see her anymore. He thought she was a liar and a cheater, didn't he? 'No...' Haruhi thought. She had come here to prove that she wasn't. She had come here to get him back, she reminded herself.

"Takashi/Haruhi-" they said at the same time. Haruhi laughed nervously and shook her head, her bangs falling a bit into her eyes. "You go first."

"No," he disagreed, "You."

She nodded and opened her mouth to speak. Unfortunately, nothing came out. Her thoughts and feelings swirled around painfully in her head but she could not find the words to voice them.

Takashi shifted. 'She's going to break up with me...' he thought. Suddenly he knew how Arai felt. The last thing he wanted to do was let her get away. He tried to tell her so, tell her that he had let his jealousy get the best of him and that he would never hurt her again. Tell her how much he loved her.

In a pure flurry of fear of what would happen if they didn't do anything right here, right now, both Takashi and Haruhi leaned into each other in what ended up in being a fumbled of a kiss, their lips barely even touching as they tried to each mash their lips into each other.

"Ow," Haruhi mumbled, falling forward once Takashi had leaned back from the awkward kiss.

He smiled, his eyes shining down at her when she looked up. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Haruhi said, giggling despite herself.

He smiled wider and before he knew it, Takashi was laughing. Haruhi's little giggles turned into heartfelt laughter. The stress and worry that had filled their souls up to the brim seemed to decrease as tears sprang to their eyes.

Meanwhile, inside the music room, the hosts and their guests looked up and listened.

The twins, trying to hold in their laughter said in between giggles, "Is...that...Mori-sempai...laughing?!" That said, their laughter burst forth, having realized that they had never heard the tall senior laugh so loudly and so much before.

At his table, Honey giggled as well and, in a chain reaction sort of way, the whole room started to laugh. The melodious sound filled their ears and in that moment, it seemed that nothing could ever go wrong again.

Girls could not get lost and lose their memories.

Twins could not argue over said girl.

Fragile hearts could never be broken.

In that moment of joy there was nothing more or nothing less. All was as it should be.

* * *

Takashi turned around, moaning slightly as he raised up and out of bed. He looked back at his bed, noting that a certain someone was missing. The Morinozuka sniffed the air, also taking notice that the scent of pancakes was in the air.

"Morinozuka-san?"

Takashi blinked and turned around to face the maid. She smiled and said, "You're being summoned to breakfast. She says it'll be ready in five minutes."

"Thank you." he nodded and the maid smiled again and left. Takashi stretched and briefly looked around his large room. He went and opened the curtains, letting the sun come in and bathe his body in its warmth momentarily before he left his room.

He went down the stairs, turned the corner and suddenly felt a blow to his midsection. A bit stunned, he looked down and saw a kid smiling up at him. His eyes were a deep gray, almost abnormally large and round. His hair, a very dark brown was set into spikes that Takashi ruffled. "Good morning," Takashi said, easily lifting the child up and hoisted onto his shoulder.

The child laughed and spread his arms out as if he were a plane. "One day, I'll be this high up too!"

"Of course." Takashi agreed, strolling into the kitchen.

"Surprise! Happy birthday Toshi-kun!"

Toshiro squealed in surprise and excitement. The small yet strong and adventurous boy jumped from his father's shoulders and ran over to the large table. Takashi smiled while walking over to his wife and put his arm around her shoulders.

Haruhi laughed when Toshiro dipped his finger into the cake she had made herself.

"Leave some from the rest of us, Toshi-chan!" Haninozuka Mitsukuni laughed handed a knife to Toshiro so that he could help the boy cut his birthday cake. Momentarily, Haruhi saw the younger Honey- the one who did not wear a short blond ponytail and who had not grown a bit taller. For a man, Honey was still short but he was more handsome that cute now, despite the fact that he had not completely given up cute things.

"But strawberry cake is my favorite," Toshiro smiled brightly.

"Toshi-kun's so selfish, isn't he Kaoru?"

"And to think we came so far just for his birthday. How troublesome."

They sighed and unison, "And we could've been with our girlfriends too. What a shame."

Haruhi bonked Hikaru and Kaoru on the head before lighting the candles on Toshiro's cake. "You know, just because you both finally kept a girlfriend for longer than a month doesn't mean you have to mention it every five seconds."

Hikaru and Kaoru laughed as they made a smart comment in reply to Haruhi. They hadn't changed much since high school. They had branched out considerably yet their golden eyes still twinkled with mischief.

"Toshi-kun, you'll cut your dear Uncle Tamaki the first piece, ne?" Tamaki asked.

In response, Toshiro asked bluntly, "You're not my uncle."

"Nice one!" the twins laughed, each giving Toshiro a high-five. "You sound just like your mom!"

To that, Toshiro raised a confused eyebrow and tilted his head to the side.

"We'll tell you the story later." Kyouya said, patting the young boy on the head. "It's very funny." He sent another arrow towards Tamaki, who was now huddled in his corner, a dark aura surrounding him.

"Ah, he's doing it again." Toshiro, Hikaru and Kaoru said simultaneously.

Haruhi sighed, "If it's not mushrooms it's a hamster's home...and Tamaki-kun _still _doesn't own a hamster."

Kyouya's eyes glimmered. There was no point in wearing glasses now, considering that the only reason he had worn them in the first place was because the host club needed 'every type' and there was someone that needed to wear glasses if they were going to do so. Now, he stuck to contacts.

Tamaki sniffed and looked around his shoulder, his depressed state finally starting to wear off. The Suoh was now a model, and his face and body showed it just as much as his younger days.

"Ah! Wait for me!" Tamaki wailed as they sung Happy Birthday to Toshiro.

"Don't forget to make a wish." Haruhi warned. Toshiro nodded and closed his eyes.

"I wish..." Toshiro mouthed. 'That things can always stay the same, just as they are now.' Haruhi thought.

Takashi looked at her, and their eyes locked together. 'We wished for the same thing...'

Takashi reached and grabbed her hand, giving it an affection squeeze while his eyes sparkled.

The twins laughed when suddenly, Toshiro had taken a large amount of cake in his hands and thrown it at Tamaki's face. Tamaki, in return, had fallen miserably to the floor. Toshiro laughed and ate the rest from the palm of his hand. Everyone grabbed a handful and proceeded to start a food fight.

Honey, of course, was in between eating it and throwing it, whatever suited him best.

Tamaki was getting pummeled by Toshiro, Hikaru and Kaoru. Kyouya was on the other side of the kitchen so that he would not get hit. He typed away on his laptop but it was no mistake that his eyes sometime wandered up to amuse himself with his friends.

"Do you think...that days like this can last forever?" Haruhi asked quietly.

Takashi didn't say anything, and for a moment Haruhi thought that he had not heard her.

"No," he finally answered. "That's why we have to enjoy them while they are here."

Haruhi nodded and leaned up. Their lips connected for a brief moment. Then-

Splat.

Haruhi twitched visibly as cake fell from her face and Takashi dusted his shirt off from the cake. "What. The. Hell?" Haruhi asked and suddenly pairs of fingers all stretched out to Tamaki.

"W-what?! It wasn't me!"

"Oh, really?" Haruhi replied, bending down to pick up some cake from the floor. "Well, _someone _has to pay."

At that time, Takashi smiled as a cake-war ensued. He knew there was some things that he could always count on.

There would always be sad times. But there would also be good ones too. Sometimes, when times got rough, he didn't think that they would make it. Still, he somehow felt that they would be alright when it was all said and done.

In the end, he knew that someday, _all _of his friends would have a happy ending.

But as for the present?

Well, he already did.

* * *

**A/N: I guess Haruhi made a pretty big cake, huh? Well, I do hope you all liked this and if necessary, give me constructicve critiscm as always. Thanks for those who have! I haven't even gotten my head bit off, yay no flames! Thanks for reading and I look forward to your feedback and to writing more stories in the future. And like I said, I'm open for requests (doesn't have to be MoriHaru) **

**Thank you. **


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